Providing a first-hand account of life in an inner city of contemporary sociology, Urban Villagers is a systematic and sensitive analysis of working-class culture and of the politicians, planners, and other outside professionals who affected it.

This new edition is unique in that while the original text is intact, Gans has added extensive postscripts to the final five chapters and the appendix. Additionally, he updates the study's findings on American society, adding new material on poverty and inequality.