Certain cities-most famously New York, London, and Tokyo-have been
identified as "global cities," whose function in the world economy
transcends national borders. Without the same fanfare, formerly
peripheral and secondary cities have been growing in importance,
emerging as global cities in their own right. The striking similarity of
the skylines of Dubai, Miami, and Singapore is no coincidence: despite
following different historical paths, all three have achieved newfound
prominence through parallel trends.
In this groundbreaking book, Alejandro Portes and Ariel C. Armony
demonstrate how the rapid and unexpected rise of these three cities
recasts global urban studies. They identify the constellation of factors
that allow certain urban places to become "emerging global
cities"-centers of commerce, finance, art, and culture for entire
regions. The book traces the transformations of Dubai, Miami, and
Singapore, identifying key features common to these emerging global
cities. It contrasts them with "global hopefuls," cities that, at one
point or another, aspired to become global, and analyzes how Hong Kong
is threatened with the loss of this status. Portes and Armony highlight
the importance of climate change to the prospects of emerging global
cities, showing how the same economic system that propelled their rise
now imperils their future. Emerging Global Cities provides a powerful
new framework for understanding the role of peripheral cities in the
world economy and how they compete for and sometimes achieve global
standing.
