Through a combination of lectures, readings, and discussion, this course examines the nature of urban life throughout U.S. history, especially since the late nineteenth century. It explores how cities have arisen, declined, and changed over time due to economic, demographic, cultural, and political developments as well as shifts in ideas about how to manage urban and later metropolitan affairs. It also examines how cities have served as engines of cultural and artistic production and why cities have been a perennial source of political controversy. Above all, it contends that the struggle to make cities livable and sustainable remains one of the most pressing issues of our time and that understanding the past is indispensable for moving toward a better urban future.