City-systems: A new development strategy to promote a new economic paradigm

City system is usually shaped by the prevailing development model. Since current development model is un‐sustainable in the long term ‐ because of the raw materials price volatility and furthermore because of its huge impacts on the environment, – it is clear that a new development model is needed. Thus, in this paper we analyze the role of city‐systems in order to promote such new development paradigm, highlighting that its real implementation depends not only on legislative framework and technological improvements, but it is mainly a matter of values, a matter of culture. Finally we identified a possible evolution path which considers ‘western cities’ (Europe, North‐America, Japan and some selected in the Middle East) as key entrance point and the most fertile location for really starting a new development paradigm implementation.