ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with the impact of the city on international relations. It considers the narratives on city-states in historic and contemporary cycles and accesses their impact on wider territory. The continuing rise of the network society links multinational citizens to an international power circuit. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and digital files containing various statistics can be used to formulate a story of a city that presents its land use and formation of spaces. The gang culture in post-modern cities reflects the dystopian nightmare in popular fiction that generates a culture conducive to criminal acts. The break down of nationalities within cities is valuable in directing resources to a range of services including education, health and social care, community development and regeneration. The shift from the familiar spirit of cities in the twentieth century to the still forming dynamics in mega-cities and urban sprawls, generate existing and fresh challenges.
