| The guide covers the tools and players in urban development in a systematic approach. Thierry Vilmin provides us with an analysis of the urban system in its totality. He concentrates on the interactions between procedures, techniques, urban forms and finance. This illumination of the system of improvement introduces a singular understanding of the role of public power in the act of development. It is intended for local decision-makers, town planners, developers and all those working in the sector who influence urban production, and for researchers and students by providing them with a better understanding of the hidden springs of current production of urban areas. All will be able to assess the strategies of the players and the role of the various procedures in this context. In a last chapter, the author gives an application of the urban development system that he has designed. This computer program intended for teaching purposes enables a simulation of the set of players involved in the system. Using it presents the advantage of a strategy and benefit centred approach to development. | 
