Mega cities and global city regions are gaining more and more importance in a world where the traditional Westphalian state system increasingly erodes. The research project “Urban Times” has dealt with the phenomenon of the emergence of non-state actors and especially cities and their role in finding answers on traditional and new issues in world politics. As distances between various entities have lost importance in times of globalization and acceleration, the research project has engaged into the discussion on how cities are playing an even more important element in this emerging diversified global landscape. One major aspect of the research project has been the analysis of cities and their connection to various forms of global flows, like capital, information, migration etc. The project has been generously funded by Volkswagen Foundation.