This original book examines the experiences cities and urban areas have had with two principal concerns that confront them today: sustainability and competitiveness. Focusing on major cities in East Asia, North America, and Western Europe, Towards a Competitive, Sustainable Modern City illuminates the ways in which cities differ not only in their course and stages of development, but in the nature of their economies and their administrative structures. Featuring a wide-ranging set of contributions from top researchers, this book discusses and analyzes the issues that different cities face, such as social cohesion, tolerance and cultural diversity, and how this will determine their developmental trajectories through the coming decade. These issues are explored in relation to contemporary topics including the growing economy of robotics, the rising importance and use of artificial intelligence and the information and communications economy. Towards a Competitive, Sustainable Modern City will be an invaluable read for scholars and professors in urban economics and urban studies more broadly, particularly those who are focusing on the importance of sustainability in both areas. Its stimulating, yet accessible, approach to the topic and key case studies will also greatly benefit urban planners and economic policy makers looking to improve contemporary cities.