ABSTRACT
The global production economy is characterized by the increasing fragmentation of the production process, including the movement of expertise and “knowledge work” upward in the organization. “Cities adrift” refers to the idea that geography is no longer relevant to decisions about industrial location. Labor cost is the most relevant factor, and cities of production easily move to places where labor is cheapest—supported by the extremely low unit price of container shipping.
The spatial manifestation of this is production divorced from place, with cities where factories are separate worlds from other urban functions. Factories may be accompanied, as they often are in Asia, by dormitories that exist only to increase the efficiency of production. Placeless industrial complexes are supported by equally placeless container ports and distribution networks. This makes the overall production system into a real—yet neutral—global spatial system.
The advantages of globalization, including cultural exchange and greater economic opportunities for some people, are counterbalanced by the “race to the bottom” of costs and wages, and by the transformation of once productive cities into cities where consumption holds sway.
