Sciences Po now has a long tradition and a critical mass of researchers in the multidimensional aspects of cities: law, economics, sociology, geography and urbanism. This unique set of skills should be brought to bear in an original way, portraying cities as the most obvious, most material and yet most often downplayed means of handling all the classical questions of the social sciences.

Indeed, studying cities is one of the most promising ways to study the dynamics of globalization and its materialization in urban processes. Understanding migration, economic development, cultural modes or infrastructure necessitates comparisons between metropolitan areas all over the world.

In particular, cities allow us to grasp the spatialization of inequalities and segregation and therefore, the relationships between social groups; to examine the modes of local and urban governance and the resolution of conflict; and to study the socio-economics of metropolitan areas, in particular their institutions and economic development, the role they play for industrial districts and regional economic policy objectives within and beyond countries. Projects submitted in this area can focus on these or other aspects related to urbanization and the politics and social foundations of cities.

This priority has two on-going  projects :

• Cities are back in town
• Governing scientific institutions in metropolitan context – Paris, Londres, New York – under construction