Contemporary globalization differs from earlier versions in context, underlying processes and manifest forms. Activities of global corporations, aimed at economies of scale in knowledge, economies of scope in corporate networks and favorable factors prices, drive a globally organized production system. This is initiating worldwide urban economic competition. Global network corporations use cities and urban regions as organizational structures to maximize returns on capital. This paper highlights the rise and role of the entrepreneurial city with redefined concepts of urban public goods provision. It discusses the emergence of the American entrepreneurial city and the spatial restructuring of urban activities and land use, which increase efficiency but also widen inequality and polarization.