I don't have a particular time period or civilization in mind- in fact I prefer comparative world history. I have study urban theory from a sociological perspective but it would be fun to mesh the historical development of urban centers and their demise (and possible resurrection) with general urban development theories.
I have a few suggestions on books to read on the development of ancient cities.
One very good one that covers a lot of theoretical and geographical ground is
The Ancient City by Edited by Joyce Marcus and Jeremy A. Sabloff.
This book addresses the development of urbanism in a wide variety of cultures, from Mesopotamia to the Indus Valley to China. It also has a good amount of theoretical discussion on studying urbanism and urban development theories. I'd heartily recommend starting here.
I'd also recommend Urbanism in Antiquity: From Mesopotamia to Crete, edited by Walter Emanuel Aufrecht, Neil Arnold Mirau, Steven W. Gauley.