“We argue that the world is in the midst of a new, enourmous urban revoluion and that in order to ensure the well being of future generations, policy makers researchers must work together to assess where the challenges lie and how to meet them. In many ways our propositions are the consequence of a broader collective effort. They are the result of a remarkable set of workshops and sessions at professional meeting around the world over the past few years. All these sessions, we requested participants to think outside the box about the numebr of aspects of urban growth and change. In our efforts to assemble and organize the conclusions of our experts, we have arrived at the metaphor of the urban piazza – the historiacl centre of urban life in ancient Italian cities in multiple dimensions and spatial sclaes – as a way of thinking about the many contributors to urban development and they ways in which they interact and are interdependent.” (Franklin R, Kourtit K, Nijkamp P and Rodriguez-Pose A, 2013 – A Roadmap for strategic urban research: the Urban Piazza).