To ensure the quality of the Ph.D. research the Department introduced a special procedure for periodic evaluation: after a period of nine months the potential Ph.D. candidates are asked to present their research design, theoretical framework and methodological approach to the members of the Department and to an external review, drawn up by the professors of the Department and by external reviewer. Depending on the assessment of the review group, the candidates will have the opportunity to continue their research at the Department. In the mean time the (public) review sessions developed into an important element for the scientific debate of the Department. The sessions became a meeting point for the whole Department to discuss new research issues and new methodological approaches and to develop new research collaborations. In this framework the external members of the review group are playing an important role. Their critics form a mirror for the scientific standards of the Department as well as for the scientific (and social) relevancy of the research issues. With the publication of the this book we want to offer to a broader public the opportunity to deal with this debate. The different contributions are based on the papers the Ph.D. candidates prepared for the reviews and have been updatedas a result of the remarks of the peer group and the discussion during the review sessions. As a result the contributions are reflecting the ongoing efforts to redefine the discipline of urbanism under globally changing conditions. The review sessions of the department started in 2004. This book presents the results of the sessions that took place late 2007 and throughout much of 2008.