Paul Knox is University Distinguished Professor and Dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University where he teaches courses on Urbanization and Urban Theory. He is the author of several successful textbooks including Places & Regions in Global Context (with Salhe Marston, Prentice Hall, 2000), Urban Social Geography (with Steven Pinch, 4th edition, Prentice Hall, 2000). The Geography of the World Economy (with John Agnew, 3rd edition, Arnold 1998). World Cities in a World-System (co-edited with Peter Taylor Cambridge University Press, 1995), Urbanization (Prentice Hall, 1994) and The Restless Urban Landscape (Prentice Hall, 1992). He is also co-editor for the World Cities series (Wiley).

Peter Ozolins is a practising architect in Blacksburg, Virginia. He is also a PhD candidate in Environmental Design & Planning at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, where he has taught an introductory course on the factors that influence the design and production of architecture. Professional activities include consulting for UNESCO and USAID on architectural and ecological issues in the Middle East, as well as in Madagascar and Tanzania, where he practised for nine years prior to the commencement of his doctoral studies.