HSC Geography - Topic - Urban Places Notes PDF

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HSC Geography - Topic - Urban Places Notes
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Urban Places Syllabus Points: World Cities

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The nature, character and spatial distribution of world cities The role of world cities as powerful centres of economic and cultural authority The operation of global networks The relationships of dominance and dependence between world cities and other urban centres and the changing role of regional centres and the demise of the small town

Mega Cities

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The nature, character and spatial distribution of mega cities in the developing world The challenges of living in mega cities such as housing, traffic infrastructure, water and power supplies, sanitation services, employment, and other social and health issues The responses to these challenges such as self-help projects, community self-government, cooperation from NGO’s, urban protest and the operations of informal economies

Urban Dynamics

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The urban dynamics of change: suburbanization, exurbanisation, counterurbanisation, decentralization, consolidation, urban decay, urban renewal, urban village, spatial exclusion. A case study of the results of urban dynamics in a large city selected from the developed world including its o Social structure and spatial patterns of advantage and disadvantage, wealth and poverty, ethnicity o Changing economic character, nature and location of residential land, commercial and industrial development o Culture of place as express in the architecture, streetscape, heritage architecture, noise, colour, street life, energy, vitality and lifestyles o Growth, development, future trends and ecological sustainability A case study showing one of the urban dynamics listed above, operating in a country town or suburb.

World Cities 

The nature, character and spatial distribution of world cities

Definition – A large city that has outstripped its national urban network to become part of an international global system Introduction World cities are defined as cities that have emerged as the control centres of information and finance. These cities collectively sustain and reinforce the cultural and economic integration of the world. With this definition in mind, a ‘world city’ is defined by the way it shapes the global economic and cultural industry more than its historical imperial power and trade. World cities can shape the global economy through the existence of transnational corporations (TNCs), international banks and international agencies and the cultural scene with the World cities are the command and control centres of the increasingly integrated global economy. This doesn’t mean that they are the most populated cities or the largest just that they are the most culturally and economically influential. They control the flow of information, cultural products, and finance that sustain the economic and cultural integration of the world. The transnational companies and financial institutions based in world cities fund the global economy and their specialized, knowledgeintensive firms deliver the services vital to its operation. These cities are the hubs for innovation and are rich in human capital (the skills, knowledge and experience held in an individual). They are the cities that dominate the popular culture through their powerful media outlets and creative industries. Their high art, fine restaurants and vibrant nightlife help attract and retain talented workers. They are magnets for migrants and visitors adding to their diversity which is an important key strength. While world cities are often large, size is not the only determining factor. Several smaller cities have global city status due to its dominance in an important sector of economic activity. San Francisco qualifies because of its high-tech dominance and Zurich because of its role in global finance. Globalisation is the process by which the cities becomes more interconnected through the global economy and increased cultural exchange. The emergence of the modern world cities is largely an outcome of the globalization of economic activity. Dating from the late 1960s, the globalisation process has been driven by: -

Technological developments in transport and communications A move away from protectionist economic policies (aka trade liberalization) The deregulation of financial markets The emergence of new, information-based forms of economic activity

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The emergence of new ways of organizing economic enterprises e.g. outsourcing The emergence of transnational corporations as key players in the global economy The emergence of a global market for lifestyle-related commodities, create at least in part, by the process of cultural integration and the development of global media networks

These developments contributed to a rapid expansion in world trade. Labour-intensive manufacturing processes typical of the ‘old economy’ were relocated to developing countries where the cost of labour was lower. As a result of these developments functions performed by the cities we now refer to as world cities have moved beyond the national scale to become increasingly international. The emergence of world cities is an integral part of the internationalism of economic activity. It is also linked with the development of spatially dispersed but globally integrated systems of production and exchange. World cities are important centres of international finance, transnational business and international business services. Decisions made in world cities often determine its nature as the command and control centres of the world economy. The decisions made in these cities often have a carry on affect to the cities that are dependent on it or in its immediate vicinity. Due to this many TNCs and NGOs chose to either house their headquarters in a world city or at least a functional branch. Many world cities often have their own specialties e.g. New York City is known for its stock exchange while “The City” in London is known for its financial sector. Historically many global corporations sold physical products e.g. car and exported them. Nowadays these corporations have moved towards exporting ideas and services. This change in industries has been the result of the rapid improvements in technologies and growth of developing countries that has allowed the more developed to move labour intensive work overseas. Examples of this are the different ‘knowledge hubs’ in Sydney. These hubs are the Sydney CBD known for its financial and professional services, Ultimo/Pyrmont for its creative digital technology, Macquarie Park with its medical technology and Parramatta for its specialized health and education precincts. World cities throughout the world each have their own unique characteristics however there are some overlapping traits that seem to be common. These characteristics displayed include being: -

A gathering place for most of the leading global markets for commodities, investment capital, foreign exchange, equities and bonds

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Clusters of advanced business services, especially in finance, insurance, real estate accounting and marketing Concentrations of corporate headquarters – not just for transnational companies bit also major national firms and large foreign firms Concentrations of national and international headquarters of trade and professional associations Most of the leading NGOs and intergovernmental organisations that are international in scope e.g. United Nations (UN), United Nations Education Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and World Health Organisation (WHO). The most powerful and internationally influential media organisations, news and information services and cultural industries

These are just a few of the many characteristics that world cities have. Patterns of dominance and dependence The impacts of globalisation are not evenly distributed. There are increasing differences between developed and developing economies, and between world cities and megacities. Megacity dominance relates to its size rather than economic or cultural influence. The result of globalisation is usually world cities becoming dominant with megacities becoming dependent. Patterns of urbanization in the developing world are often associated not with the process of globalisation but rather then internal economic processes. In the developing world people are ‘pushed’ out of rural areas due to lack of opportunity and ‘pulled’ into a city where there are few economic opportunities. What used to be called ‘urbanisation without industrialization’ is now ‘urbanisation without industrialization and globalisation’. This has important implications for the dynamics of change affecting the mega cities of the developing world. Spatial distribution of World Cities A number of organisations have attempted to classify and identify world cities through a variety of criteria. One of the most successful organisations is the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC). They classify world cities through a range of criteria and create a hierarchy with Alpha ++ cities at the top followed by, Beta and Gamma.     

Alpha ++ cities are vastly more integrated into the global economy than all other cities Alpha + cities are those that complement London and New York City by filling advanced service niches for the global economy Alpha and Alpha – cities link major economic regions into the world economy Beta cities link moderate economic regions into the global economy Gamma cities link smaller economic regions into the global economy

These classifications have been created by the GaWC. Revise the main cities. The role of world cities is closely aligned with not just national economic factors but also the international influences. These cities have exceeded their national boundaries and become:    

Command and control centres of the global economy The preferred location for finance and specialized services A focus for advanced telecommunications technologies Sites of production for new, innovative industries, especially the new information-based industries....