An introduction for students to the ways in which globalization has assisted in the formation, interaction and distinctive economic-urban-cultural characteristics, and pronounced global reach of global cities in the world economy. It discusses how and why the globalization of economic activity, finance, labour and information technology in particular, have been significant both in understanding the geographies of global city formation, and geographies of restructuring within individual global cities themselves. Jonathan Beaverstock articulates such conceptual issues through examples drawn from a range of late-20th-century cities in Europe, North America and Japan in particular. Each chapter includes selected readings from a range of literature which is scattered across a number of disciplines, encouraging them to seek out such literature for themselves.