For most of those which were great once were small today; And those that used to be small were great in my own time. Knowing, therefore, that human prosperity never abides in the same place, I shall pay attention to both alike–Herodotus, Fifth Century B.C.If the great Greek chronicler and “father of history” Herodotus were alive today, he would have whiplash. In less than a lifetime, we have seen the rapid rise of a host of dynamic new global cities–and the relative decline of many others. With a majority of the worlds population now living in cities, what these places do with their new wealth ultimately will shape this first truly urban century.Just 25 years ago, when you waked down the Bund in Shanghai, there were few cars and no modern towers. The rough sidewalks expanded into the streets to accommodate a mass of poorly dressed pedestrians. A decade later, Moscow was in the midst of a particularly grungy interlude, filled with stolid people waiting in lines for shoddy consumer goods. You could hail a cab, and pay for it, with a pack of Kents.

via World Capitals Of The Future – Forbes.com.

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