Lesson 8 The Global City PDF

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Lesson 8 The Global City Globalization -

Is SPATIAL because it occurs in physical spaces. What makes it move is the fact that it is based in places. In the years to come, more and more people will experience globalization through cities. (Ex: In 1950, only 30% lived in urban areas, by 2014 that number increased to 54% and by 2050, it is expected to reach 66%)

Defining the Global City Saskia Sassen -

Popularized the term “global city” Criteria for what constitutes global city were primarily economic. Hubs of global finance and capitalism -ex: homes of the world’s top stock exchanges where investors buy and sell shares in major corporations.

3 Global Cities:  New York, London and Tokyo -

Though it is not as wealthy as NY, movie making mecca Los Angeles can now rival the Big Apple’s cultural influence. San Francisco is another global city because it is the home of the most powerful internet companies (FB, Twitter, and Google). Finally, the growth of the Chinese economy has turned cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou into centers of trade and finance. Others consider some cities global simply because they are great places to live in. (Ex: Melbourne)

Indicators of Globality Economic power -

Largely determines which cities are global. Ex: New York, Tokyo and Shanghai

Economic opportunities -

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Make global cities attractive to talents from across the world. Ex: IT programmers and engineers from Asia moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to become part in Silicon Valley’s technology boom. Economic competitiveness (criteria according to Economist Intelligence Unit): Market size Purchasing power of the citizens Size of the middle class Potential for growth

Centers of Authority -

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Ex: Washington D.C. is the seat of American state power (White House, the Capitol Building-the Congress, the Supreme Court, the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument) Housing major international organizations Can also be considered centers of political influence. UN in NY EU in Brussels ASEAN in Jakarta European Central Bank in Frankfurt

Centers of higher leaning and culture -

City’s intellectual influence is seen through the influence of its publishing industry. Ex: NYC, London, Paris and Boston

The Challenges of Global Cities -

They can be sites of great inequality and poverty as well as tremendous violence. Like the broader processes of globalization, global cities create winners and losers. Some “pathologies” of the global city based on the research of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs: Richard Florida: “Ecologists have found that by concentrating their populations in smaller areas, cities and metros decrease human encroachment on natural habitats.”

The Challenges of Global Cities PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM -

Not all cities have extensive public transportation system and their governments are not able to regulate their car industries, thus, these made them extremely polluted.

LARGE ENERGY CONSUMPTION -

Urban areas consume most of the world’s energy because of its sheer size of city population. In fact, even though cities only cover 2% of the world’s landmass they consume 78% of global energy. This massive consumption of energy can contribute to global warming

TERROR ATTACKS -

The major terror attacks of recent years have also targeted cities, especially those with global influence, due to high populations and their role as symbols of globalization that many terrorist despise.

The Global City and the Poor -

Some cities, particularly those in Scandinavia, have found ways to mitigate inequality through state-led social redistribution programs.

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However, in places like Mumbai, Jakarta and Manila, it is common to find gleaming buildings alongside massive shantytowns. In the outskirts of NY and San Francisco are poor enclaves occupied by AfricanAmericans and immigrant families who are often denied opportunities at a better life. Slowly, they are being forced to move farther away from the economic centers of their cities.

Gentrification -

The phenomenon of driving out the poor in favor of newer, wealthier residents. Ex: In France, poor Muslim migrants are forced out of Paris and have clustered around ethnic enclaves known as banlieue. In most of the world’s global cities, the middle class is also thinning out. A large global city may thus be a paradise for some, but a purgatory or others.

Conclusion:    

Global cities are sites and mediums of globalization. They are places that create fusions of culture and ideas. They are also places that generate tremendous wealth. However, they remain sites of great inequality, where global servants serve global entrepreneurs....