CHAPTER 1.2 ICT and the Sustainable Competitiveness of Cities

“The city belongs to the 21st century more than the nation, ” asserted Saskia Sassen over 10 years ago.1 Now, for the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population live in urban areas. Large cities in emerging countries are not only replicating many features of those in advanced countries but, as they become global, they have as much in common with advanced-country cities as they do with the rest of their own countries. As cities increasingly play in a global arena, they are being driven to develop sustainable competitiveness strategies and—with knowledge and productivity as key factors of 21st-century competitiveness—high-speed networks and the technologies that revolve around them have become crucial for attracting and retaining citizens and businesses.This supra-national role of cities in th