Typologies and the transformation of European cities: a perspective from America

Abstract

The broader outline of this paper reveals how different types of cities compete and transform themselves in a global world. We take a number of typologies from the State of European Cities Report; we then comment on them and compare them to an equal number of counterparts in the United States. The typologies consist of international cities, research cities, satellite cities and de-industrialized cities. Using these typologies, we discuss whether and how different types of European cities converge with or diverge from American cities. We also take up the issue of whether there exists a specific European or American path to urban development. We then go on to explain the process or urban transformation, or more precisely, how cities go about shifting their economic base to accommodate global pressures. The paper concludes with observations about how cities might adopt or combine various typologies or develop altogether new approaches to global competition.