Most research on globalization has focused on macroeconomic and economy-wide consequences. This book explores an under-researched area, the impacts of globalization on cities and national urban hierarchies, especially but not solely in developing countries. Most of the globalization-urban research has concentrated on the "global cities" (e.g. New York, London, Paris, Tokyo) that influence what happens in the rest of the world. In contrast, this research looks at the cities at the receiving end of the forces of globalization. The general finding is that large cities, on balance, benefit from globalization, although in some cases at the expense of widening spatial inequities.

Aus den Rezensionen:

"Der Band thematisiert die Auswirkungen der Globalisierung auf die Urbanisierung am Beispiel ausgewählter Städte aus allen Regionen der Welt. Er enthält neben zwei übergeordneten konzeptionellen Beiträgen sowohl empirische Einzelanalysen als auch Vergleichsstudien. Insgesamt zeigen die Analysen, dass alle Städte - unabhängig von ihrem Entwicklungsstadium vom Prozess der Globalisierung betroffen sind "

(in: Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, 2006, Vol. 16, Issue 4, S. 1377 f.)

Inhalt
Globalization in General.- Globalization, spatial allocation of resources and spatial impacts: A conceptual framework.- Urban development in the global periphery: The consequences of economic and ideological globalization.- The Urban Hierarchy.- Impact of globalization on cities and city-related policies in India.- The impacts of globalization on the urban spatial-economic system in Korea.- Trade openness and regional development in a developing country.- Do the donors have it right? Decentralization and changing local governance in Indonesia.- South Africa in the global context: The view from above and below.- City-Specific Studies.- The Rio/São Paulo Extended Metropolitan Region: A quest for global integration.- Mexico City as a peripheral global player: The two sides of the coin.- Globalization and Latin America: Understanding the global links of Colombia's capital.- Tijuana-San Diego: Globalization and the transborder metropolis.- Globalization and Los Angeles.- The impacts of globalization on St. Petersburg: A secondary world city in from the cold?.- Building world city Tokyo: Globalization and conflict over urban space.- Measuring world city formation The case of Shanghai.- Karachi a case of asymmetric inclusion in the current globalization?.- Issues.- Information technology and urban spatial structure: A comparative analysis of the Chicago and Seoul regions.- Globalization and urban environmental transitions: Comparison of New York's and Tokyo's experiences.- Above and below the line: Globalization and urban form in Bangkok.