Globalization versus independent cities: what is best?

The independent city is a simplification of the modern world. An overlay of local, state and national governments, and international treaties control and increasingly influence the management and evolution of cities. Effective urban management is difficult when the city is a sub-system of a complex and often cumbersome hierarchical structure. This is especially true when community spirit and solidarity are absent. By focusing on the essential variables, one ends up with a much simpler system, which can be analyzed, simulated and optimized. Globalization which promotes the free now of labor, goods and services, and capital runs contrary to independence. Understanding the pros and cons of these two extreme trends, and identifying the winners and losers, is a goal of great current national and international interest. Specific aspects of urban dynamics can be better understood with the help of the "urban laboratory" constituted by the independent city. The effects of the independent city's linkages with the remainder of the world are examined. These effects are illustrated by the flight of the rural populations toward the city in response to mechanization of agriculture. A structure of governance that advocates a significant amount of local control within a centrally imposed framework of objectives and constraints-as well as some competition among cities and within the city"seems best.