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Cities account for half of the world's population and for far more than proportional economic power. What can the economic argument about their formation, structure, and evolution tell us? How can the contemporary economics of cities reflect the economies of contemporary cities ? In recent years, the city has often been missing from economic thought. Today, the city seems marginalized not only in economic analysis but also in spatial economics. It is often overshadowed by interest in regional economics. It is also neglected by research in productive and innovative urban agglomerations. Work dedicated to cities does not give a fair account of its complexity. Although modeling helps us understand the logic of its formation, it still lags behind its recent evolution. However, economic theory concerning cities is changing rapidly toward greater realism. Better interaction between economic research on space and the city would greatly favor the advance of knowledge.