Considers what this central European metropolis tells us about the changing nature of urban life.

With the collapse of state socialism, the people of Budapest are rearranging their points of reference as the cityscape’s familiar signposts disappear. In what sense is the transformation of Budapest different from the experience of "Western" cities? What does all this mean if viewed, as this book suggests, as a part of global restructuring? Through Budapest’s example, Judit Bodnár shows how the postsocialist experience of east-central European cities offers a fresh and instructive view of our general farewell to modernity.