ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an empirical perspective on the complex and multifaceted spatial relations between the development of a so-called knowledge-intensive service economy in and the physical connectivity of large-scale metropolitan areas. There is a rich empirical literature on the connections between physical infrastructure and the development of knowledge-intensive services at the national scale, especially for the United States. The chapter discusses the linkages between world city-formation as measured by the presence of globalized producer services firms and air passenger flows. It draws on a literature review to explore which processes can be assumed to further impact these linkages. Finally, the chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications for research on the linkages between the knowledge-intensity of urban economies and physical infrastructure networks. There is a long tradition of geographical research on the way in which the development of urban systems has been tied up with the development of airline infrastructure.
