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Topic · Urban Studies

Global Urban Networks and Dynamics

Global Urban Networks and Dynamics is a research topic within Urban Studies. Science Explorer counts 2.8k research works in it since 1950. 10.8% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers explores the concept of the World City Network, focusing on the interconnectedness and hierarchical structure of global cities, their roles as financial centers, and their participation in the knowledge economy and global commodity chains. The papers employ network analysis to study international connectivity and urban geography within this global interconnected urban system.

  • World City Network
  • Globalization
  • Urban Hierarchy
  • Interconnected Cities
  • Financial Centers
  • Knowledge Economy
  • Global Commodity Chains
  • Network Analysis
  • International Connectivity
  • Urban Geography
Research works
2.8k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
300
per year above
Top-10% rate
10.8%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+35%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
40% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Global Urban Networks and Dynamics

Which countries lead Global Urban Networks and Dynamics research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (206 and 91 works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 206 works
  2. 2 United States 91 works
  3. 3 United Kingdom 40 works
  4. 4 Japan 34 works
  5. 5 Brazil 31 works
  6. 6 France 30 works
  7. 7 Germany 30 works
  8. 8 Russia 21 works
  9. 9 Türkiye 19 works
  10. 10 Poland 17 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 39.7%United States: 17.5%United Kingdom: 7.7%Japan: 6.6%6 others listed: 28.4%40%largest
China206 · 39.7%United States91 · 17.5%United Kingdom40 · 7.7%Japan34 · 6.6%6 others listed147 · 28.4%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Global Urban Networks and Dynamics research?

By volume in 2022-now, CHDI Foundation publishes the most Global Urban Networks and Dynamics research, followed by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Kansas.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 CHDI FoundationUnited States 13 works
  2. 2 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 11 works
  3. 3 University of KansasUnited States 6 works
  4. 4 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 6 works
  5. 5 East China Normal UniversityChina 5 works
  6. 6 Zhejiang UniversityChina 5 works
  7. 7 University of Hong KongChina 4 works
  8. 8 Beijing Jiaotong UniversityChina 4 works
  9. 9 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom 4 works
  10. 10 Peking UniversityChina 4 works

Who are the leading researchers in Global Urban Networks and Dynamics?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Global Urban Networks and Dynamics include Michael E. Porter.

  1. 1 Michael E. Porter United States 165k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in Global Urban Networks and Dynamics?

The most cited paper in Global Urban Networks and Dynamics is "Sticky Places in Slippery Space: A Typology of Industrial Districts" (Ann Markusen, 1996), with 2,447 citations. Next come "New Globalism, New Urbanism: Gentrification as Global Urban Strategy" (2,360) and "Urbanization in developing countries: Current trends, future projections, and key challenges for sustainability" (1,908).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Sticky Places in Slippery Space: A Typology of Industrial Districts Ann Markusen · Economic Geography Jul 1996 2,447
2 New Globalism, New Urbanism: Gentrification as Global Urban Strategy Neil Smith · Antipode Jul 2002 2,360
3 Urbanization in developing countries: Current trends, future projections, and key challenges for sustainability Barney Cohen · Technology in Society 22 Dec 2005 1,908
4 Territory, Authority, Rights: From Medieval to Global Assemblages G. John Ikenberry, Saskia Sassen · Foreign Affairs 2006 1,519
5 Global and world cities: a view from off the map Jennifer Robinson · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research Sep 2002 1,247
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Global Urban Networks and Dynamics research done?

The largest centres of Global Urban Networks and Dynamics research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Shanghai (China), New York (United States) and Nanjing (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Shanghai.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 41 works
  2. 2 ShanghaiChina 21 works
  3. 3 New YorkUnited States 18 works
  4. 4 NanjingChina 14 works
  5. 5 TokyoJapan 14 works
  6. 6 MoscowRussia 14 works
  7. 7 GuangzhouChina 13 works
  8. 8 LondonUnited Kingdom 12 works
  9. 9 HangzhouChina 10 works
  10. 10 ParisFrance 9 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. ShanghaiCN · 21.4 works2.3×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Global Urban Networks and Dynamics than the world average.

See Global Urban Networks and Dynamics on the map

Is Global Urban Networks and Dynamics research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 35% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2026. The fastest-growing topics are Global Urban Networks and Dynamics.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Global Urban Networks and Dynamics as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.0014% in 2024.

still counting0.0020%0.0040%0.0060%Global Urban Networks and Dynamics0.0040% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Global Urban Networks and Dynamics over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%Global Urban Networks and Dynamics10.2% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

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