World Cities and Nation States

World Cities and Nation States takes a global perspective to show how national governments and states/provinces/regions continue to play a decisive, and often positive, partnership role with world cities. The 16 chapter book – comprised of two introductory chapters, 12 central chapters that draw on case studies, and two summary chapters - draws on over 40 interviews with national ministers, city government officials, business leaders and expert academics.

Greg Clark is an advisor and mentor for cities, business, and investment. He works with leadership in global cities, global firms, global institutions, and at global gatherings.Greg trained as an Economist, Social and Political Scientist, City & Regional Planner at Cambridge University, UK, Columbia University, NYC, and London School of Economics. Harkness Fellow and author of ten books and numerous reports and papers on cities and business development issues.
He has just been awarded the CBE.

Tim Moonen is a researcher on the future of cities and globalisation, and currently the Director of Research at The Business of Cities. He has written extensively about global urban financing, long-term strategic planning, and comparative city competitiveness. He has recently authored and co-authored original work on international development bank investment for cities, the future of European cities, and the concept of global fluency as a tool for city and metropolitan leaders.

"Although the 'century of the nation state' is over, it casts a long shadow on this 'century of cities'. The extent to which the long wave of global urbanisation will in hindsight come to be viewed as a success for human development, will in no small part be down to how well nation states and their world cities team up and work together." The age of cities, and in particular world cities, is upon us. The phenomenon of globally trading and connected cities follows directly from a 20th century that was in many ways the century of the nation state. One of the paradoxes of this new century of cities is that it inherits nearly all the political structures, identities and organising principles of the nation state system. This poses a big question: how are world cities and their national governments reorganising and updating their relationship for the urban age? World Cities and Nation States observes these new relationships in 12 leading world cities as the basis for starting a global discussion about the ways that nation states are adjusting to the globalisation of major cities. Through in-depth case studies and interviews with numerous national ministers, city government officials, institutional leaders and academic experts, the authors reveal how cities and nations are adjusting differently to ensure not only progress in the world city, but also the development of their national systems of cities. Despite predictions of the rise of city-states, the book argues that a spirit of partnership will be essential to the sustainability and success of world cities and nation states alike. The book is an invaluable read for policy professionals at the city, regional and national levels as well as business representatives entering new urban markets. By focusing on the legal, political, economic and spatial framework in each city, it also provides a useful source for students and academics in urban studies and related fields.

'Although the 'century of the nation state' is over, it casts a long shadow on this 'century of cities'. The extent to which the long wave of global urbanisation will in hindsight come to be viewed as a success for human development, will in no small part be down to how well nation states and their world cities team up and work together.' The age of cities, and in particular world cities, is upon us. The phenomenon of globally trading and connected cities follows directly from a 20th century that was in many ways the century of the nation state. One of the paradoxes of this new century of cities is that it inherits nearly all the political structures, identities and organising principles of the nation state system. This poses a big question: how are world cities and their national governments reorganising and updating their relationship for the urban age? World Cities and Nation States observes these new relationships in 12 leading world cities as the basis for starting a global discussion about the ways that nation states are adjusting to the globalisation of major cities. Through in-depth case studies and interviews with numerous national ministers, city government officials, institutional leaders and academic experts, the authors reveal how cities and nations are adjusting differently to ensure not only progress in the world city, but also the development of their national systems of cities. Despite predictions of the rise of city-states, the book argues that a spirit of partnership will be essential to the sustainability and success of world cities and nation states alike. The book is an invaluable read for policy professionals at the city, regional and national levels as well as business representatives entering new urban markets. By focusing on the legal, political, economic and spatial framework in each city, it also provides a useful source for students and academics in urban studies and related fields.

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