Theatres of Accumulation

3 _­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­Cities: theatres of accumulation,centres of diffusion _­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­_­

Introduction

With the themes of the previous chapter as our general framework we are now in a position to discuss the place of cities in relation to capitalist accumulation. Cities are, stated simply, the crucial elements in accumulation at all levels, regional, national and international, providing both the institutional framework and the locus operandi for transnational, local oligopoly capital and the modernizing national state.

In offering advantageous conditions for capital, cities, particularly the large metropolitan areas, act as the central places for a process ...