Originally published in 1990, The Isolated City State asks the questions, why have the world's major cities experienced explosive growth? Why does the socio-economic status in North America roughly increase with distance from the city centre, while the socio-economic status in South America roughly decreases? What are the reasons behind the sudden decline of some large, central cities? Will recovery if it happens be equally rapid? Generally, to understand the phenomenon, simplifications are made which make it impossible to understand other phenomena. This major study synthesises a vast amount of theorising and research to provide answers to the major questions of urban geography.