New World cities : challenges of urbanization and globalization in the Americas For millennia urban centers were pivots of power and trade that ruled and linked rural majorities. After 1950 explosive urbanization led to unprecedented urban majorities. That transformation inextricably tied to rising globalization changed almost everything for nearly everybody. New World Cities looks at six metropolises during the twentieth century Mexico City Rio de Janeiro Buenos Aires Montreal Los Angeles and Houston exploring the challenges of explosive urbanization and the gains and limits of popular politics