This book explores the role of cities in the trade liberalisation process of the global economy and their efforts to enhance the "competitiveness of cities". Cities have become the primary actors in the trade liberalisation process, both in North America and Europe. It is their efforts to design strategic responses, to create city networks, to influence priorities for public expenditures, and to enhance their own competitiveness that are vital to the realisation of the potential for increased efficiency and higher incomes which free-trade promises. This work examines the impact of trade liberalisation on the urban economy through case studies of urban areas along the US-Canadian border, in the European Community, and in Scandinavia. The findings may be of interest to scholars in development economics and international trade and to practitioners and policy-makers involved in urban economic development.