Global Cities

As cities grow, states Taylor (geography, Northumbria U., UK), their density of population and activity and business connectivity grows, and their global importance rises to the level of nation-states. He and co-editor Michael Hoyler (geography, Loughborough University, UK and U. of Heidelberg, Germany) have selected 80 previously published articles and book excerpts for presentation in this four-volume reference. They provide introductory essays and explain that although each volume has an independent focus, the volumes are structured to support comparisons, with sections on antecedents and foundation studies followed by more specific analyses. The volumes are subtitled as follows: Cities in Globalization (v.1); The Business of Global Cities (v.2); Infrastructure for Cities in Globalization (v.3); and Planning and Governance of Cities in Globalization (v.4). A chronological table of reprinted articles and chapters identifies the earliest piece as a chapter from Cities in Evolution by P. Geddes, published in 1915, on the population map and its meaning. The chronology then jumps to a 1957 article in the publication Economic Geography titled "Megalopolis or the urbanization of the northeastern seaboard" (by J. Gottman). The following decades are all represented, but the most recent decades are the most heavily represented. Other sources include American Journal of Sociology, Harvard Business Review, Urban Affairs Review, and Review of International Political Economy, among others. The anthology is indexed. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)