Global Cities ─ A Short History

Why have some cities become great global urban centers, and what cities will be future leaders?

From Athens and Rome in ancient times to New York and Singapore today, a handful of cities have stood out as centers of global economic, military, or political power. In the twenty-first century, the number of truly global cities is greater than ever before, reflecting the globalization of both economic and political power.

In Global Cities: A Short History, Greg Clark, an internationally renowned British urbanist, examines the enduring forcessuch as trade, migration, war and technologythat have enabled some cities to emerge from the pack into global leadership. Much more than an historical review, Clark's book looks to the future, examining the trends that are transforming cities around the world as well as the new challenges all global cities increasingly will face.

Which cities will be the global leaders of tomorrow? What are the common issues and opportunities they will face? What kinds of leadership can make these cities competitive and resilient? Clark offers answers to these and similar questions in a book that will be of interest to anyone who lives in or is affected by the world's great urban areas.

Greg Clark is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a Global Fellow in the Brookings/J.P. Morgan Chase Global Cities Initiative program. He is the author of a number of book on cities and development.