Toronto Star

In the future, the battles for independence will more likely be fought by cities than countries. Though it's only just starting, it is clear that traditional notions of nationality and nationhood are increasingly irrelevant in a world where wealth, power and people are concentrated in fast-growing metropolises. In a highly developed England, the population was urbanized in the 1850s. But now the rest of the planet, especially the Third World, is undergoing the same process. As of this year, half the world's population lives in cities, and that shift is happening faster than ever before in human history. A city the size of Victoria, B.C., is added every week through rural-to-urban migration. Yet everywhere one looks, municipal governance remains rooted in 19th century. Canada is no exception. Toronto's recent struggle with the province to obtain the powers it needs to deal with big-city realities is typical of a larger war now being waged around the globe.