Auditing cities through circles of sustainability

This chapter explores the possibility of structural change from a mosaic spatial structure premised on boundaries to a spatial structure of nodes premised on flows. Many cities appear in tables showing measurements of activities in governance and business that are unique to GaWC research. The classic statement on social organization by that identifies three basic forms of social organization: markets, hierarchies and networks. Network power is recognised, infrastructural networks are studied and social networks have been found to be central to understanding contemporary global governance. The non-economic networks are much more partitioned than the businesses services network of cities so that power relations through hub cities indicates a core-periphery differentiation at least as severe as the economic. The NGO network is again quite distinctive. In this case only Washington remains as a US representative and although the continental distribution is similar to the UN network membership is subtly different.