'This text with extensive references throughout has proved a thought-provoking and challenging read.' Building Engineer 'While the mantra of cultural capitals has dominated recent debates about urban vitality, this is the first warts-and-all analysis of the experience of first and second order cultural capitals through longitudinal comparative studies. This is a timely and inspiring contribution to the debate about the potential of the arts to enhance urban images, economies and communities.' Jennifer Craik, University of Canberra, Australia '... the overall quality of the book is high. Especially the case studies on Glasgow, Bilbao, Singapore and Geelong provide a lot of inspiration for researchers and practitioners who are interested in creative cities. As such, Johnson's book is a valuable contribution to the growing literature in this field and certainly deserves a wide read.' European Spatial Research and Policy