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For the first time in history, metropolitan areas are now home to the majority of the world's population. Metropolitan areas are the engines of economies around the world. They are centers of culture, religion, education, innovation, and entertainment. At the same time, many are also places of poverty, marginalization, despair, and conflict.
The Center for Global Metropolitan Studies aims to investigate and
address the problems and opportunities posed by global metropolitan
growth and change through creative interdisciplinary research. We plan
to address seven “big-picture” questions that will unify
the endeavor, each spanning multiple domains: 1. What are the global, national, regional, social, economic, and cultural drivers of metropolitan growth and change? Is there an emerging global network of metropolitan regions, and how is it organized? 2. How is the morphology of metropolitan regions around the world changing? In common ways and modes, and for common reasons; or, in archetypal modes and for archetypal reasons; or in unique and singular modes? By morphology, we mean the form and distribution of economic activities, population groupings, and cultural and social nodes. 3. Are the forms and dynamics of metropolitan economic, population, and social change similar or different across metropolitan areas, as differentiated by country, size, history, or stage of economic and political development? How important is the global economy and the rise of global consumer culture in shaping metropolitan development patterns? 4. Which forms and models of governance and related non-governmental institutions are most effective at meeting the needs and preferences of metropolitan populations? Which forms work best in which contexts and situations? How should the obligations, functions, and organizational forms of governance be re-conceived to meet the requirements of metropolitan regions? 5. To what extent is global metropolitan growth and change leading to greater political, economic, and spatial segregation by ethnicity, race, religion and income? How permanent are these spaces and groupings? 6. Which approaches to and models of infrastructure investment and management are most efficient and equitable at the metropolitan scale, as well as responsive to environmental problems?
7. As
metropolitan regions grow larger, more populous, more diverse, and more
resource-consuming, how should the relationships between metropolitan growth and
the long-term health of urban populations and the natural environment be
conceptualized and measured? How do emerging concepts of resilience and
sustainability get operationalized at the metropolitan-scale. The task of converting these seven issue areas into a coherent and fundable research program will occupy the Center for Global Metropolitan Studies Co-Directors and faculty associates for its first two years of existence. Our first research undertakings focus on metropolitan issues in China, Europe, Latin America, and the US. Current research includes:
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