ABSTRACT
Many recent studies have identified similar processes of urban transformation within those cities currently classified as world cities (e.g. GaWC, 2006). Although there is a significant level of coincidence amongst the descriptions of these transformations, the causes and outcomes of them remain contentious. While some studies explain them as a direct consequence of the impact of globalization, others are more inclined to look to local explanations. Nevertheless the ubiquitous nature of these processes appears to be generally acknowledged. One of the commonalities found throughout these studies is the emergence of new typologies that challenge traditional understanding of the urban centre and periphery. Concepts such as ‘grid erosion’ (Pope, 1996) and ‘rebundled city’ (Dick and Rimmer, 1998; Graham and Marvin, 2001) are used to grasp these urban transformations and form part of a new theoretical framework centred around the concept of urban fragmentation. Not surprisingly, ‘fragmentation’ is both one of the most quoted terms in current urban texts and also one of the most polysemous. The question of the meaning, roots and consequences of urban fragmentation is a very compelling topic in the contemporary urban debate.
