In The life of Cities addresses the complex relations between urban artifacts and urban life. Contributors from a wide range of fields address the role and life of cities as diverse as Baku, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Detroit, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Paris, Quito, St. Petersburg, Tel Aviv, Tirana, and Toronto. Portfolios of contemporary photography present the layered realities of urban life today.

Charlie Koolhaas contributes Contrast and Contradictions; photographs and a text about Houston in Texas, USA.