Whose work do you see yourself citing in your dissertation? I think that is a starting place to find universities that would be good to apply to: apply where these professors work. Also, from what you say, I think it would be best to find a university with an interdisciplinary research centre on urban issues.
You didn't mention Canada, but it is the environment I am most familiar with. I think you could find interesting opportunities at Toronto, McGill, UBC, and York. However, these universities usually only have very limited opportunities for international students if you don't already have external funding.
