The world’s population is becoming primarily urban. Those large countries that had remained essentially rural until the end of the 20th century are now rapidly becoming urbanised.
Cities and territories will be major actors of a globalised system in the 21st century. It is probable that this level will actually be the essential one for the integration of economic, social and ecological dimensions, as well as for building sustainable societies. But this implies a profound renewal of the way in which we consider territories.
The governance of territories and particularly of very big cities everywhere, already poses political and institutional problems that are not satisfactorily addressed.