This book is an outcome of a conference that we organized in 1993 on World Cities in a World-System. Held at the Center for Innovative Technology, adjacent to Dulles International Airport, near Washington DC, the conference brought together a group of speakers and an audience with a very broad range of perspectives on world cities. We were very pleased with the outcome. The phenomenon of world-city formation has raised a number of important theoretical issues and practical questions that all benefit from a wide-ranging, cross-disciplinary dialogue. This volume is based on a selection of the papers that were presented at the conference. Both the conference and this volume are the result of the contributions of many individuals. We would particularly like to thank John Friedmann for his organizational help and his gracious consent to our use of his work as both a focus and a foil. Ian Watson provided invaluable contributions both as a research assistant and conference organizer. The College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University provided financial support.