Who are we becoming?

At the dawn of a new millennium, the weakening role of the nation-state as a special unit of economic interaction and the re-scaling of the global economy as a network of overlapping flows between urban spaces has invited extensive research on a seemingly new global city-centered capitalism. With 75% of the global population projected to live in urban setting by 2040, how we shape our perception of what our cities are becoming will have a profound impact on our collective futures.

Spatially dispersed yet globally integrated

The major West Coast Cities function in this global economy as  

(1)  highly concentrated command points in the organization of the world economy.

(2)  Key locations for financial and specialized service firms.

(3)  Sites for production, including the sites for cutting edge innovation in leading industries.  

(4)  Markets for products and innovations produced

A Societies beliefs become it's reality.

As West Coast City’s deepen their role as strategic command centers in the global economy, the question arises whether these city-regions can adapt to societal issues such as respect, quality of life, and well-being have not been addressed well in the sustainable development equation. How will inevitable need for urbanization affect political power, and policies regarding urban development?

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