Post, ex, sub and dis - these are but a few of the prefixes that have been used to compose neologisms for describing the contemporary cityscape in Western Europe and North America. Terms such as posturban space, postsuburbia, exurbia, exopolis, suburban downtown and disurbia are part of a dizzying collection of often hotly contested labels. The plethora of neologisms demonstrates how difficult it has become to name, map and analyse the contemporary cityscape. To many observers, urban environments and urban society have come to evince a radically chaotic and fragmented structure. This book explores how in recent decades the notion of fragmentation - a mainstay already of reflections on urban modernity - has acquired new meanings and how, within the current decentralized and centrifugal context, the urban landscape is constantly being deconstructed and reconstructed, both materially and discursively. Richly illustrated with works by artists and photographers who have visualized various new kinds of urban fragmentation, the volume brings together a series of essays on spatial, social and cultural issues written by distinguished scholars and practitioners from an unusual variety of disciplines. It will be especially useful to students of urban planning, architecture, sociology, literature and the arts