World city theory: The case of seoul

Abstract

Over the past 30 years, a novel phase of economic globalization has given rise to new global production networks, a new international division of labour, and new urban social and spatial conditions (Castells, 1996; Harrison, 1994; Harvey, 1989; Sassen, 1991, 1998). In addition to the serious implications of these changes for nation-states and workers, cities are dramatically transformed, particularly in relation to the phenomenon of deindustrialization and the de-territorialization of a large portion of economic activity. Those working on the issue of 'world cities' generally paint a troubling picture of the globalization process in relation to the city, stressing that the global economy is intensifying tensions between elite and common interests, and is placing new demands on cities to attend to the demands of global capital. Such conclusions have however been drawn largely from research based on major cities in the United States and England (i.e. Chicago, New York, London) cities with histories as pre-eminent centres of global capital (cf. King, 1990; Knox & Taylor, 1995; Sassen, 1991), although research on other cities in this context has begun to emerge in recent years (cf. Isin, 2000; Oncu & Weyland,