pt. 1. Global city formation: emergence of a concept and research agenda -- pt. 2. Structures, dynamics and geographies of global city formation -- pt. 3. Local pathways of global city formation: classic and contemparary case studies -- pt. 4. Globalization, urbanization and uneven development: perspective on global city formation in/from the global South -- pt. 5. Contested cities: state restructuring, local politics and civil society -- pt. 6. Respresentation, identity and culture in global cities: rethinking the local and the global -- pt. 7. Emerging issues in global cities research: refinements, critiques and new frontiers