For centuries, cities and towns have been engines of growth and incubators of civilization and have facilitated the evolution of knowledge, culture and tradition, as well as of industry and commerce. Today they emerge as one of the strategic sites where these macro social trends materialize. Among these trends are globalization and the rise of the new information technologies, the intensifying of transnational and trans-local dynamics, and the strengthening presence and voice of specific types of socio-cultural diversity. Cities are also sites where each of these trends interacts with the others in distinct, often complex manners, in a way they do not in just about any other setting. This book illustrates the impacts of globalization in urban life. It covers a range of topics including; cities in the age of globalization, urban areas, formation of global cities, social transformation in cities, urban streets and complexity, global trends in labour markets and urban criminology. The book will be of great value for sociologists, planners, politicians, researchers, students and social workers.
