THE SUBURBAN TRANSFORMATION OF THE GLOBALIZING AMERICAN CITY

As the American metropolis has turned inside out since 1970, the emerg ing outer suburban city has captured critical masses of leading urban activities from the central city that spawned it. Globalization increa singly shapes U.S. urban development in the 1990s, yet research to dat e has focused on the central city and mainly ignores the outer ring, w here a growing majority of metropolitan residents live and work. Follo wing a brief review of the unprecedented recent suburbanization of maj or economic activities, this article explores the rapidly expanding in ternational role of suburban business complexes in large metropolitan areas, particularly Greater New York. Among the perspectives discussed are the world city hypothesis, relationships between telecommunicatio ns and urban form, high-technology industrial location processes, the influence of corporate headquarters on global information-flow network s, and the foreign presence in suburban America. It is concluded that globalization forces intensify and accelerate the suburban transformat ion of the American city. A new urban future is being shaped as fully developed suburbs become the engine driving metropolitan and world cit y growth.