Cities have been acquiring worldwide political importance and many are protagonists of the global economy. For the first time in 2001, a city’s mayor spoke in the General Assembly of the United Nations. Some cities are given the opportunity to become main players in the political, social or economic sphere. Other cities carry out leading roles in their countries or at regional level. No matter at which level, an urban system is a complex reality. Cities are places where multifold phenomena concentrate, usually in mutual relationship. Urban centers are places for people to commute, to work, to enjoy themselves, to rest, to inhabit, and so on. Urban centers welcome every day or night the commuter, the businessman, youth, the elderly, families with children and so on. This multitude of functions, actors and their requirements pose continuous challenges to our metropolitan regions. There is a need for innovative approaches capable of tackling the urban reality. This article strives for answers by means of a holistic approach towards urban management. Real cases and comparative analyses are employed during the investigations.