David Smith discusses how East Asia’s economic miracle turned, in 1997, into a crisis. He characterizes his task as a sociologist involves developing a global perspective on urbanization. He references Ed Soja’s view of contemporary Los Angeles as a repfection of global restructuring. Smith analyzes the effects of globalization including time-space compression and global divisions of labor. He reflects on the hierarchy of world cities, stressing the significance of Los Angeles. Delineating economic flows between world cities reveals Los Angeles as a major shipping hub. Smith describes how an analysis of the Los Angeles garment industry necessarily involves a discussion of the economic restructuring the global industry.