1. Twentieth Century City: economy and social life

2. Urbanization and de-urbanization
1870s-1960s: an era of expansion. 1960s-XXI century: a period of some urbanization but also selective de-urbanization. The leading role of Western European cities. The impact of the two World Wars. A new urban geography. The emergence of Northern European cities.

3. Urban industry
The eclipse of rural industry. Effects of the second industrial revolution. The role of electricity. Building industry and post-war reconstruction. Urban de-industrialization. Impact of ICT and new leading urban areas.

4. The surge of service sector
Retailing: department stores, chain stores and indipendent retailers. The development of shopping malls. Hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues. Education and professions. Media industry. Banking and financial services.

5. Immigration
Demographic growth and immigration. The falling of urban mortality rates. Better living standards. Native rural migration and large scale ethnic migration. A multiplicity of minorities. The impact of the globalization. Urban transformations.

6. Middle class and working class
A growing sense of working class identity. The role of the socialism. Housing as a public concern. The increase of social segregation. A new mass society. Car, media and consumerism.

7. Women and cities
The status of women. Political and social rights. Decline of female employment in manufacturing and in domestic service. A new access to education. High schools and universities. Domestic model and emancipation after 1960s.

8. Milan
Symbol of modernity and efficiency since the Unification of Italy. Economic dynamism and urban growth at the beginning of the XX century. The Fascist plan for a «Grande Milano». Reconstruction and expansion after the Second World War.