He obtained a PhD at the University of Chicago in 1955, and then, between 1955 and 1969, worked in Brazil, South Korea, the United States, Venezuela and Chile for academic, government and non-government agencies.
Nineteen years later, his article "The World City Hypothesis" generated a stream of research in economic geography, development studies, and planning.
In 2006, he was the first recipient of the UN-Habitat Lecture Award "for his outstanding and sustained contribution to research, thinking and practice in the field of Human Settlements."
His most recent books include The Prospect of Cities (2002), China's Urban Transition (2005), and Insurgencies: Essays in Planning Theory (2011).
Many of his writings have been translated into various languages, including Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Persian, and Chinese.