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Layered architectures are not flexible enough to cope with the dynamics of wireless dominated next generation communications. Cross-layer architectures may provide a more flexible solution: breaks the traditional structure by allowing interactions between two or more non-adjacent layers. This paper review the cross–layer approach to network architecture and compare the different cross-layering architectures, observing that most current approaches depend purely on local information and provide only poor and inaccurate information gathering at the global scale. This paper also explores the possible use of cross-layering architectures in autonomic communications and the potential importance of new cross-layer architectures with a hybrid local and global view for autonomic communications.