![]() The World Cities was first published in 1966 with a second edition in 1977 and a third in 1984. I argue that Hall’s book is simultaneously before its time and of its time and it is the purpose of this essay to try and unravel these two elements in what I agree is a ‘classic’ of urban studies. I will, at least partially, dispute this interpretation and evaluation. They are able to link Hall to the national urban systems school through his description of ‘the cosmopolitan character’ of world cities ‘as an expression of their host states’ geopolitical power’ (p. ![]() Hall’s conception of a “world city” is thus arguably a product of a period in which cities operated primarily as nodes within national urban systems.’ ‘Crucially, however, Hall conceived world cities primarily as national centers that channeled international forces and interests towards national interests. The reason for such brief acknowledgement is because, according to Brenner and Keil (2006, 20): This is hinted at by the inclusion encompassing only the first couple of pages of Hall’s book. But this should not be interpreted as implying a simple continuity of research efforts over these decades. Although there is always debate on what is and what is not included in a scholarly ‘reader’, in this case where to begin must have been an easy decision for the editors: certainly most people knowledgeable of this research field would have expected Hall’s (1966) The World Cities to appear prominently up-front despite a 40 year gap between the two publications. In their recent acclaimed The Global Cities Reader Brenner and Keil (2006) start their selection with an excerpt from what they term ‘Peter Hall’s classic work on world cities’ (p. (A) The Remarkable Legacy of Peter Hall’s (1966) The World Cities
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