In 2004, Manuel de Sola?-Morales and an elite group of urban expertspresented the exhibition ?Cities, Corners? to highlight the value ofcon- temporary urbanity at The International Forum of Cultures, inBarcelona. In this exhibition of urban settings around the world(including Times Squa- re, a Parisian cafe?, Shibuya and PiccadillyCircus, among many others), the meaning of the corner? was extendedbeyond its purely geometric con- dition in relation to buildings to awider scope in which cities themselves were considered social,economic, cultural and political intersections.

This book,which was sparked by the IMPAQT project, came together in our virtualclassrooms, and was written and edited in the Barcelona UrbanismLaboratory is the result of this very wide collective contribution. It aims to provide a mosaic of the past, the present and the future of a vibrant hub in the central area of a global megalopolis.