Cities are epicentres of creativity and innovation but are also easily locked into patterns of infrastructure and behaviour that may not serve them best. The Co-Director of the Oxford Programme for the Future of Cities looks at these phenomena and considers ways to enhance the ability of cities to adjust to changes in their natural, political and financial environments. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/