City and county governments provide a wide array of highly technical urban services.

Gaining a rudimentary understanding of them can be a daunting challenge for students as well as new and inexperienced public servants. "Handbook of Urban Services" is designed to help meet this challenge.

In language that will make the fundamentals clear to non-specialists, this practical handbook provides concise overviews of 17 core local government services in four functional areas:

Public Safety and Health Services

Police, fire, emergency management, emergency medical, animal control, and public health;

Public Works and Planning Services

Planning and inspections, water treatment and distribution, wastewater and stormwater management, street maintenance and construction, solid waste collection and disposal, and forestry;

Leisure Services

Parks and recreation, and libraries;

Support Services

Public equipment, public buildings, and public facilities.

Each chapter begins with a brief history of the service, followed by a discussion of effective management practices and policies. Chapter-ending bibliographies refer the reader to sources with more in-depth treatment.