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Is the 'global' city an age-old historical phenomenon associated with economic, cultural, and imperial power (Rome, Athens, Beijing, Istanbul), or a consequence of the industrial revolution? Is it a product of the media age or a continuation of the power and influence of the imperial metropolis? In the nineteenth and for much of the twentieth century it would have been claimed as a Western imperialist phenomenon (London, Paris, New York) or cities and countries that consciously emulated western imperialism (Tokyo). This conception -- if ever actually true -- certainly cannot be supported today. The European and north American cities now vie with the booming cities of Asian Tigers (Mumbai, Shanghia, Seoul), and the great developing cities (Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Bahía Blanca, Lagos), as well as regional expressions like the 'Pacific Rim' cities.

What is the essence of the 'global' city and how has it been represented? Is it a modern phenomenon or an ancient practice? How do we define global -- is globalism a consequence of mass urbanisation or does globalisation create the conditions for the emergence of the global city. How do the global cities of the twentieth century resemble or differ in form and function those of the past and, based on present trends, the future? In the 21st century more people than even will be living in urban environments: 'Over the next thirty years, the world's urban population could double from 2.6 billion in 1995 to 5.2 billion in 2025. Most of this growth will take place in developing countries, where some 4 billion people (over half of the total) could be living in cities by 2025, compared with 1.5 billion (37%) in the early 1990s' (Andrieu 1999). How will this impact on how we imagine the city and issues of migration, diaspora, and exsiting geopolitical inequalities -- not all global cities are equal in these terms. What have been and will be the conseqeunces of such global economic and technological inequalities?

This conference is intended to encourage interdisciplinary exchange on the representation, cultures, histories, experience, planning, and articulation of global cities. By interrogating the vocabularies that have arisen in several disciplines which might include in addition to the term 'global city', 'global village', 'megacities', 'cosmopolis', imperial metropolis', 'world cities', 'sprawl', 'postmetropolis', etc., the conference will bring together debates over images, narratives, economics, planning and, above all, experience, of the 'global' city.

We will be actively pursuing various publishing outputs related to the conference.