On Global Cities

Global cities are something new. Everybody talks about them. Many cities would like to be one. But few people really understand global cities - what they are, why they're special, what makes them global, where they came from, how they differ from the cities that have been with us for millennia, how they deal with other global cities, not least how they cope with problems and challenges, many unique to global cities. This essay pulls together the latest thinking, scholarship and reporting on global cities. It recognizes both the potential and perils of these new urban hubs.