The Global City

In her classic book The Global City, Saskia Sassen explains how New York, London, and Tokyo became command centres of the global economy and, in the process, underwent massive and parallel changes. The book reshapes the way we think about cities in the global economy and continues to provide lessons for the future.

A very significant book indeed...A systematic detailed analysis of the three largest urban economies in the advanced world. — Peter Hall, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research

[A] high-powered and at times horrific book. Sassen shows how dangerously city life has been affected by the influx of employees of the multinational firms which move into major cities and virtually colonise them, driving even greater wedges between the rich and poor. — The Observer

The most detailed and sophisticated anatomy yet published of the functioning of the new producer services sector in the global economy. — Mark Levine, Urban Affairs Quarterly

A multi-disciplinary tour de force that should be read not only by regional economists but also by urban geographers, sociologists, and planners. — Development and Change

An exciting and persuasive work. It incorporates a Herculean research effort. — Susan Fainstein, Journal of the American Planning Association

The implications of Sassen's research...are sobering. — Rudolf Klein, Times Literary Supplement

A landmark study in the political economy of cities. — Anthony King, Newsline