As the global economy becomes ever more interconnected, what role will North American cities play? What challenges will North American cities encounter as they become more integrated in the world economy? The contributors to this groundbreaking volume examine these questions and offer a candid analysis of urban economics in a global age. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, contributors address such salient issues as the politics of international engagement, planning strategic linkages between cities, cross-border interaction and networking in North America, wage polarization, and urban competitiveness. Scholars and students in the fields of urban studies, economics, international studies, and urban planning will find this an invaluable resource. In addition, this volume will also serve a key resource for city practitioners.

As the global economy becomes ever more interconnected, what role will North American cities play? What challenges will North American cities encounter as they become more integrated in the world economy? The contributors to this groundbreaking volume examine these questions and offer a candid analysis of urban economics in a global age. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, contributors address such salient issues as the politics of international engagement, planning strategic linkages between cities, cross-border interaction and networking in North America, wage polarization, and urban competitiveness. Scholars and students in the fields of urban studies, economics, international studies, and urban planning will find this an invaluable resource. In addition, this volume will also serve a key resource for city practitioners.

Cities in a Global Society is an impressive collection of essays focused on an important global redefinition. Go Global" is a rapidly emerging theme of the 1990s, and this book is the definitive overview of cities that are doing so." --Michael Marien, Editor, Future Survey "This is one of the most significant public policy books to appear.... In essay after essay, this important volume makes clear a simple idea: That the culture, environment and economy of cities are increasingly influenced by forces well beyond the end of Main Street." --Bulletin of Municipal Foreign Policy As the year 2000 approaches, urbanized areas are entering a new era--one in which they will be shaped primarily by their responses to powerful global forces. The editors and contributors to this fascinating and timely volume believe that cities must begin to assess their roles in a global society and establish their strategic position and comparative advantage in the global marketplace. A wide range of essays by noted international scholars shows how national urban policies tend to be reactive, driven by problems rather than by opportunities, consequently reinforcing the passive nature of cities and their dependency on national initiatives. The diversity of their perspectives, analyses, observations, and insights helps to identify and define critical issues that cities are beginning to address as they become more internationally oriented. After first examining the role of cities in society, the contributors present several perspectives on a city futures management model and review strategies for developing global cities. This stimulating volume offers a wide range of innovative responses to these new challenges and will be useful to professionals and students in urban studies, economics, development studies, anthropology, international relations, future studies, political science, political theory, and sociology.