This is an empirical paper that measures and interprets changes in intercity relations at the global scale in the period 2000-08. It draws on the network model devised by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) research group to measure global connectivities for 132 cities across the world in...

Using the concept of world city formation to identify 53 European cities, a typology is produced through a principal components analysis of the locations of 46 global firms providing advanced producer services. The typology is based on grouping cities in terms of similar mixes of service firms....

Preface -- Background: Chengdu in a Global Context -- Comprehensive Analysis of Existing Data: Chengdu in the World City Network -- Social Research Finding One: Quantitative Analysis of Successful Enterprises -- Social Research Finding Two: Business Success Stories and Inspiration -- Moving onto...