Defining what constitutes urban history has always proved challenging; however, employing this review's usual wide definition has resulted in the identification of theses from a range of disciplines. This review covers theses produced in 2003 and drawn from the Index of Theses located at http://www.theses.com/ and Dissertations International located at http://wwwlib.umi.com/ dissertations. This year for the first time it has become necessary to limit coverage in the face of what can only be described as a boom in theses addressing aspects of urban life. This blossoming of interest should not be unexpected given the increasing urbanization of the world's population, leading to a curiosity about the origins and nature of urban life. Consequently this year's review again includes shorter summaries in an attempt to allow coverage of 53 theses.