The twelve essays in this edited volume argue for the intersections of colonial and frontier historiography; of the American West and global history; and of urban-studies and postcolonial modes of inquiry. Themes include the intimate negotiations in cities as homes to many cultures; the self-assertion of cities as cultural spaces; and the propinquity and environs essential to cities as economic sites. I co-wrote introduction and framing materials, and edited essays by Elliott West, Timothy Mahoney, Matthew Klingle, and Alan Gallay.