Globalization and the City

Globalization is often taken as the starting point for theoretical debates concerning contemporary urban restructuring. There has, however, been little investigation of the complicated relationship between globalization and urbanization and even less publications on the subject suitable for undergraduate courses. Globalization and the City provides an accessible and topical examination of the urban impact of globalization and the role of cities in globalization. The significance of this contribution to the debate is threefold. Firstly, it examines the role of cities across the globe rather than a narrow band of world cities. Secondly, the relationship between urban dynamics and cultural and political globalization is explored in depth showing how economic, cultural and political processes at the global level lead to changes in the city. Finally, unlike many existing studies which only focus on globally induced changes to the city, this book looks at how the process operates in the opposite direction to reproduce globalization through urban dynamics. Globalization and the City is written for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in urban geography, urban policies, economic geography, world political economy, and cultural studies.