Leo van den Berg is Director of EURICUR and Professor of Urban Economics and Urban Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Erik Braun is a Senior Researcher in EURICUR and Lecturer at the Faculty of Economics of Erasmus University Rotterdam. Jan van der Meer is Associate Director of EURICUR and Associate Professor of Urban Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam. The editors have initiated, carried out and contributed to many comparative urban research projects through EURICUR in cities across and beyond Europe. The results of these investigations have been published internationally in the EURICUR-series with Ashgate and in academic journals. Leo van den Berg, Erik Braun and Jan van der Meer have also edited the first volume concerning national urban policies in the EU-countries that was published by Ashgate in 1998 (National Urban Policies in the European Union). More information about their activities and publications can be found on www.euricur.nl.