Introduction: German cities in the world city network
Alain Thierstein
Stefan Luthi
Michael Hoyler
2134/8525
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Introduction_German_cities_in_the_world_city_network/9483677
This introduction to the special issue “German
cities in the world city network” provides an overview
of the current status of research on urban systems in the
knowledge economy, with a particular focus on the German
urban system. The first part identifies the knowledge
economy, particularly the requirements for geographical
and relational proximity along the value chain, as a key
driver of contemporary urban development. The second
part clarifies the concept of polycentricity, distinguishing
between its political and analytical roots, while considering
its application on different spatial scales. Based on this
discussion, the third part emphasizes the importance of relational
thinking in analyzing polycentric urban systems
and functional urban hierarchies. This is followed by an
outline of the specific contribution of each paper to our understanding of the relational geographies of the German urban space-economy.
2011-06-24 09:25:19
Germany
Knowledge economy
Proximity
Polycentricity
Relational economic geography
Earth Sciences not elsewhere classified