Metropolitanization 15 years after (In French)

Abstract

This paper proposes a survey of recent literature on the analysis of metropolitanization, with a main focus on the economic approach of the phenomenon. The basic statements of metropolitanization, appeared at the beginning of 90’s, are clarified: metropolitanization was conceived as the spatial translation of globalization, which has induced changes in the productive systems. Three main categories of recent deepenings are identified. The first relates to the identification of the specific role of metropolises within the globalization context and relies on the analysis of metropolitan functions of coordination, command and control. The second applies knowledge economics in order to understand the specific place of metropolises, stressing the mechanisms of endogenous growth but also the concepts of creativity and knowledge base. The third explores the geography of metropolitan globalization, and stresses the selectivity of metropolitanization dynamics at a worldwide scale and their recent changes, specifically the rise of Asian metropolises.Metropolisation, globalisation, creativity, knowledge economy, global cities