IOur paper concerns the spatial articulation of the emerging world system of production and markets through a global network of cities.' Specifically, it is about the principal urban regions in this network, dominant in the hierarchy, in which most of the world's active capital is concentrated. As cities go, they are large in size, typically ranging from five to fifteen million inhabitants, and they are expanding rapidly. In space, they may extend outward by as much as 60 miles from an original centre. These vast, highly urbanized -and urbanizing -regions play a vital part in the great capitalist undertaking to organize the world for the efficient extraction of surplus. Our basic argument is that the character of the urbanizing processeseconomic, social, and spatial -which define life in these 'cities' reflect, to a considerable extent, the mode of their integration into the world economy.We propose, then, a new look at cities from the perspective of the world economic system-in-formation. The processes we will describe lead to new problem configurations. The central issue is the control of urban life. Whose interests will be served: those of the resident populations or of transnational corporations, or of the nation states that provide the political setting for world urbanization? Planners are directly engaged on this contested terrain. They are called upon to clarify the issues and to help in searching for solutions. Obviously, they will have to gain a solid, comprehensive understanding of the forces at work. And they will have to rethink their basic practices, since what is happening in world cities is in large measure brought about by forces that lie beyond the normal range of political -and policy -control. How can planners and, indeed, how can the people themselves, living in world cities, gain ascendancy over these forces? That is the basic question. Towards the end of this paper we shall venture a few observations about the tasks we face and their implications for planning. 'We are greatly indebted to John Walton for his insightful critique of an earlier version of this paper and to our students in the Colloquium on the Future of the City whose skepticism and relentless questioning forced us in a number of instances to reconsider our argument and to sharpen its formulation. Special thanks are due to

IOur paper concerns the spatial articulation of the emerging world system of production and markets through a global network of cities.' Specifically, it is about the principal urban regions in this network, dominant in the hierarchy, in which most of the world's active capital is concentrated. As cities go, they are large in size, typically ranging from five to fifteen million inhabitants, and they are expanding rapidly. In space, they may extend outward by as much as 60 miles from an original centre. These vast, highly urbanizedand urbanizingregions play a vital part in the great capitalist undertaking to organize the world for the efficient extraction of surplus. Our basic argument is that the character of the urbanizing processeseconomic, social, and spatialwhich define life in these 'cities' reflect, to a considerable extent, the mode of their integration into the world economy.We propose, then, a new look at cities from the perspective of the world economic system-in-formation. The processes we will describe lead to new problem configurations. The central issue is the control of urban life. Whose interests will be served: those of the resident populations or of transnational corporations, or of the nation states that provide the political setting for world urbanization? Planners are directly engaged on this contested terrain. They are called upon to clarify the issues and to help in searching for solutions. Obviously, they will have to gain a solid, comprehensive understanding of the forces at work. And they will have to rethink their basic practices, since what is happening in world cities is in large measure brought about by forces that lie beyond the normal range of politicaland policycontrol. How can planners and, indeed, how can the people themselves, living in world cities, gain ascendancy over these forces? That is the basic question. Towards the end of this paper we shall venture a few observations about the tasks we face and their implications for planning. 'We are greatly indebted to John Walton for his insightful critique of an earlier version of this paper and to our students in the Colloquium on the Future of the City whose skepticism and relentless questioning forced us in a number of instances to reconsider our argument and to sharpen its formulation. Special thanks are due to

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