Singapore: Asia's Global City?

The dynamics of a 21st century city are very different from those that created the urban agglomerations of the past. The economics of post-industrial cities are driven are driven by lifestyle, consumption and innovation rather than “production”. This economic paradigm is very powerful and, in the last decade, World Cities such as London and New York have boomed on the back of this dynamic. Thus, it is not surprising that the city-state of Singapore should look to the new paradigm as a way to climb up the value chain. The vision poses some questions :What does the Global City paradigm really mean? Why should planners pursue such a vision? How does one engineer this dynamic? How does Singapore measure up?