_Urban Europe: A Study of Growth and Decline, Volume 1_ contains the result of the first stage of the CURB project. The general aim of the CURB project is to study the financing of urban systems and to evaluate the costs associated with urban change. Organized into three parts, this book contains the initial conceptual framework that incorporates some elements of a behavioral theory of the spatial welfare-functions of key actors in the urban transformation process, viz. households, employers and governments. Part I details the elements of a theory of urban development. Part II describes the empirical analysis of urban development trends. The last part contains the elements of a theory on urban policy and an evaluation of national urban policies in Europe.