International commentary / policy analysis
Global City ReviewGlobal City Review

Global City Review

Reading long-term order from the city level

We examine the structural relationship between urban governance, regional competitiveness, public investment and social resilience, grounding every argument in public sources.

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Lead Editorial

Lead editorial

Editorial

Low-Carbon Strategies for Three-Dimensional Urban Form: Global Cooling Demand Is Reshaping the Logic of Urban Planning

A study covering 140 global cities reveals that the pattern of urban expansion matters more than scale in determining cooling energy demand. Disorderly horizontal sprawl drives up energy consumption, while compact vertical development offers structural advantages. This is not merely an energy issue—it is a strategic watershed for urbanization in the Global South.

Based on the latest research in Nature Communications, this article analyzes from an urban strategy perspective the structural relationship between urban form and cooling demand, pointing out that cities worldwide are facing a paradigm shift from two-dimensional expansion to three-dimensional governance, and that compact cities will become key to climate adaptation and competitiveness.

Lead Editorial

Editorial

01When homebuyers vote with their feet: America's urban system is shifting from the California coast to the Sun Belt02Compact Cities, Climate Games: A New Strategic Interpretation of Global Urban Form03AI, Knowledge Power, and Global Cities: Strategic Implications of Academic Infrastructure Restructuring04How sports towns reshape the urban-rural future of China: a spatial strategy beyond poverty alleviation
Editorial

Lead Editorial

Editorial

Editorial8 min read

Low-Carbon Strategies for Three-Dimensional Urban Form: Global Cooling Demand Is Reshaping the Logic of Urban Planning

A study covering 140 global cities reveals that the pattern of urban expansion matters more than scale in determining cooling energy demand. Disorderly horizontal sprawl drives up energy consumption, while compact vertical development offers structural advantages. This is not merely an energy issue—it is a strategic watershed for urbanization in the Global South.

Amira Mansour
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City Analysis

City Analysis

City Analysis

City Analysis6 min read

When homebuyers vote with their feet: America's urban system is shifting from the California coast to the Sun Belt

The 2026 nationwide home-buying friendliness ranking reveals a deep urban restructuring: small Florida cities are replacing Silicon Valley and the Bay Area as new population magnets. This is not a simple housing market report, but rather a microcosm of urban competition, regional rebalancing, and long-term strategic choices in the United States.

Amira Mansour
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Regional Outlook

Regional Outlook

Regional Outlook

Regional Outlook4 min read

Synergistic Restructuring of Population and Transportation: Global Strategic Insights from the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration

New research on the coordination between population and transportation in the Pearl River Delta reveals that transportation investment may exacerbate core-periphery imbalances. This article interprets this from the perspective of global city competition, pointing out that coordinated development requires governance reforms that go beyond the logic of infrastructure.

Amira Mansour
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Expert Perspectives

Expert Perspectives

Expert Perspectives

Expert Perspectives6 min read

AI, Knowledge Power, and Global Cities: Strategic Implications of Academic Infrastructure Restructuring

AI's transformation of libraries and knowledge systems is not just a matter of technical efficiency, but also an adjustment of global knowledge power. Based on a mixed-methods study focusing on digital media, the humanities, and information science, this article deeply analyzes how algorithms change the underlying logic of knowledge dissemination, and calls on urban strategic institutions to incorporate academic infrastructure into a broader AI governance agenda.

Thomas Dupont
Expert Perspectives5 min read

The Decline of American Research Universities: A Turning Point in the Global Knowledge Order and Urban Competitiveness

Chinese universities continue to close the gap, while federal political intervention deepens. American research universities are undergoing a profound structural crisis. This is not merely an educational issue—it signals a shift in the global center of knowledge production, one that will reshape the fate of cities and national competitiveness in the decades to come.

Amira Mansour
Expert Perspectives4 min read

Intelligent Restructuring of Knowledge Infrastructure: How Artificial Intelligence Reshapes the Future of Academic Communication and Information Management

From the strategic perspective of global knowledge infrastructure, this paper examines the structural transformations brought about by artificial intelligence in digital media, the humanities, and information science. Based on a mixed-methods study, the article analyzes research trends and user perceptions of AI in library and information science, pointing out that automated metadata indexing, citation analysis, and recommendation systems are becoming core mechanisms of knowledge management, while also exploring long-term challenges in interdisciplinary collaboration, transparency, and ethical governance.

Thomas Dupont
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Reports

Reports

Reports

Reports7 min read

The "Spatial Blind Spot" of Urban Sustainability Science: Why the Built Environment Cannot Just Be a Background

A systematic review based on 630 publications shows that over 90% of urban social-ecological system studies treat the built environment as a passive backdrop. This paper comments on this "spatial blind spot" and its profound implications for urban sustainability governance, and analyzes why a spatial systems framework is a necessary theoretical evolution for the urban age.

Thomas Dupont
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