Global Infrastructure Networks

Colin Turner, Institute for Infrastructure, Heriot-Watt University and Debra Johnson, formerly Hull University Business School, UK

• Contents: 1. Infrastructure and Territoriality 2. The nature of the Global Infrastructure System 3. The Global Transport Infrastructure System 4. The Global Information Infrastructure System 5. The Global Energy System 6. Reflections on the Global Infrastructure System Index

'Globalisation depends on the physical and digital connectivity that infrastructure systems provide, and it is powered by global energy networks. Yet globalisation is also transforming the nature of infrastructure, for example, establishing it as a financial asset class and reviving its colonial role as an instrument of power. Turner and Johnson look through the lens of political economy to untangle the complex processes of infrastructure development that are shaping societies, economies and landscapes worldwide.'--Jim Hall, University of Oxford, UK'This book can be considered as ''the next level'' in the analysis of global infrastructure networks. The term 'infrastructure' is used here to mean a wide range of technical, economic and political arrangements, including daily commuting systems, container shipping networks, airline networks, and energy networks. Collectively these infrastructures support the flows of people, ideas, knowledge, capital, goods, etc. that facilitate the (re)production of cities as strategic places in the economy. The guiding principle in this book is that (global) cities are not only prominently connected in infrastructure networks, but above all combine the advantages of assuming central positions in these networks to support the global work that is routinely done within and between these cities. A stimulating read for all interested in how global infrastructure networks perform such functions as control, integration, security, and growth.'--Frank Witlox, Ghent University, Belgium'By combining International Political Economy theory and new data, Turner and Johnson provide fresh insight into the evolution and recent trends in infrastructure development which will be of interest to specialists as well as social scientists in general.'--Judith Clifton, University of Cantabria, Spain