The Transformation of American cities

Abstract

There was a time when urban politics was exclusively concerned with the internal dynamics of the city. Sometimes it might be treated as part of a metropolitan area and more rarely it might be examined as an object of national policy. But cities were almost never seen as international actors. Times however, are rapidly changing, and cities have increasingly become participants in a complex international system of trade and economic pressures. We use the term global context to define that system and identify those pressures. The global context encompasses economic and technological developments that transcend nation-states. For purposes of this article these developments include sharpened international competition for capital and customers; easier flows of currency and capital across boundaries; widespread use of electronic transactions and internet communications; and profuse flows of immigrants and guest workers into urban areas.