BOOKS: GLOBAL CITIES
Issues and Context for Understanding Global Cities

Global Network, Linked Cities
Saskia Sassen, ed.
Brunner-Routledge, 2002

Sociologist Saskia Sassen collects research, theory and case studies from 19 other social scientists and compiles them in this thought-provoking work. She calls for a reimagining of cities as nodes of an immense network of commercial and political transactions and pays particular attention to the recent growth explosion in areas formerly called the Third World.

The City: A Global History
Joel Kotkin
Random House, Inc., 2005

Kotkin provides a thorough history of the city from the first urban centers of the Fertile Crescent to post-September 11 global cities. He argues that three key factors distinguish successful cities: commerce, power, and the "sacredness" of urban space. For Kotkin, cities are not merely "machines for living" but reflect the eternal characteristics of places sacred, safe, and busy. In looking at the history of city life as a continuous whole, The City is nothing less than a breathtaking account of the human achievement itself.

The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century
Thomas L. Friedman
Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2005

In this brilliant new book, an award-winning New York Times columnist demystifies the brave new world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering global scene unfolding before their eyes. With his ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, Friedman explains with profound insight how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the 21st century.

Urban World/Global City, 2nd edition
David Clark
Routledge, 2004

This second edition has been extensively updated and referenced. Each chapter includes a set of learning objectives, annotated readings and topics for discussion. Well-illustrated throughout, it is essential reading for students of Geography, Sociology and Development Studies and for all who seek an understanding of how the urban world has evolved and how it will change in the 21st century.