Boston and the Making of a Global City

Author James O’Connell will discuss Greater Boston’s historical rise in the network of competitive global cities, from colonial times, when merchant ships traded with the far corners of the globe, up to the contemporary knowledge-based economy, which has been powered by higher education and life sciences, health care, information technology, and finance. The talk will also cover the role that recent immigration has played in Boston's evolution and how Boston has shaped a globally-recognized urban "brand." O'Connell will examine the impacts of globalization on Boston and how current political developments are posing challenges to its ongoing vitality.

James C. O’Connell is adjunct professor of city planning-urban affairs at Boston University. He also guides walking tours of Boston related to urban planning. He has taught at the Boston Architectural College and University of Massachusetts Amherst. For over fifteen years, he was planner for the Boston office of the U.S. National Park Service. He is the author of The Hub’s Metropolis: Greater Boston's Development from Railroad Suburbs to Smart Growth; Dining Out in Boston: A Culinary History; and Becoming Cape Cod: Creating a Seaside Resort. Other writing has appeared in The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History, and the Creating Cape Cod exhibit catalog published by Heritage Museums & Gardens.

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