1. What are attributes of global city?

Global City

2. What are the characteristics of global city?

 Defining Global City
• New global cities have since arisen not only as financial centers but also a
producers of services that are global in scope
• Global cities are post-industrial
• Manufacturing has been scattered across national and global networks
• Turn from “landscapes of production” to “landscapes of consumption”
• Global cities are “brain hubs” and centers of a “knowledge economy”
• Economies of scale and concentration are necessary despite the proliferation/production of
communications technology
• Network economies and spillover effects include “thick labor markets” in knowledge
workers.
• Polarization/separation extends to differentiation by human capital (skills and formal
education)
21st century–is a hub for the closer relation of states and for a
wider perspective in technological development. As such the
world became a web where people can witness the
interconnectivity of nations. It is globalization that make
nations closer to each other.
Thomas Friedman, in his book The World is Flat (2005) there are
three stages of globalization:
First, Globalization 1.0- lasted from 1492-1800 and “shrank the
world from a size large to a size medium”. This is known as the age
of mercantilism and colonialism and the driving forces were the
workforce, housepower, windpower and later on steam power.
Second stage, is Globalization 2.0 – the age of Pax Britannica when
Great Britain was the hegemonic power in terms of trade and economy.
The driving force was new institutions, particularly the emergence of
global markets and multinational corporations.
Third stage, is Globalization 3.0 – refers to the age of Pax Americana
which occurred during the second half of the 20 th century, when the US
of America was the hegemonic power in terms of security, trade and
economy. The US of America became the sole superpower in the so-
called Unipolar World, after the fall of Soviet Union in 1980s. This
system was developed by the reigning hegemonic state by defeating
other great powers in terms economy and influence to other states in the
world.
 Soft power – is the strategy used to retain one’s dominance over the
less powerful states. This termed was coined by Joseph Nye (2004)
who uses a different method to establish cooperation-attraction. This
form of power “arises from attractiveness of a country’s culture,
political ideals and politics”. Soft power was enhanced when these
policies are deemed justifiable by other states. The US of America
has been employing its soft power in various ways.
Gore (2013) explained that the world is changing dramatically and
there are six driving forces in this global change. One of the drivers
of global change is the emergence of a deeply interconnected global
economy that increasingly operates as a whole entity.
Multinational corporations- (MNCs) play a substantial role in the
global economy and enjoy a multitude of privileges such as:
- unquestionable access to vast amount of wealth they draw from
their income
- theoretical immortality to a certain extent
- the ability to pit themselves against one another
MNCs play a pivotal role not only in the global economy but in the
international political community as well, alongside nation-states in
terms of their capacity to sustain themselves and considerably to
influence the members of the international community, due to
established premises.
MNCs seem to tie together an otherwise politically separated and
clouted world under an all encompassing banner of commerce and
economy. Products and goods have the intrinsic capability to
attract a target market regardless of geographical location and
political ideology. MNCs in the sense, have the capacity to erase
and transcend the borders of the world.
MNCs and irrefutable continuity of nation-state act as key actos of
the global community. With these, the world at least figuratively
seems to be smaller and more connected. The evidence of such
connectivity is the concept and actual manifestation of the global
city.
Global city- serves as a hub/heart/center for production, finance
and telecommunications. Sassen (2005) outlined the different
characteristics of globality that maintains its link to globalization.
Characteristics of global city are:
1. The cultural diversity of the people
2. Existence of the center of economy
3. Geographic dispersal of economic activities that marks
globalization
4. Global reach performance
Sociologist Saskia Sassen popularized this term.
Her The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo (1990) has
shaped the concepts and methods used to analyze the role of cities
and their networks in the contemporary world.
Sassen’s concept of Global City gives emphasis on the flow of
information and capital.
Global Cities are major nodes in the interconnected systems of
information and money, and the wealth that they capture is
intimately related to the specialized businesses that facilitate
those flows.
• making sense of urban systems and their global networks
These characteristics are observed in famous global cities:
New York, Tokyo, Singapore and Seoul.
According to the 22018 Global Cities Index;
New York – ranked the highest in terms of general criteria i.e. business
activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience and
political engagement. Followed by London, Paris, Tokyo and Hongkong.
Cities are hub for high economic, commercial, cultural and at times even
political activities which can contribute to human progress and
development through collaborative efforts of multi-
cultural individuals situated therein. Thus, global cities represent
cities around the world that exemplify these characteristics of a
city better than other cities. Example , the cities of San Francisco
and New York in the US of America were showcased as global
cities that exhibit strength in innovation and strong performance
in business activity and human capital respectively. Further,
global cities are also perceived as sources of economic growth
and are also economic powerhouses themselves, coupled with
being industry leaders and regional hubs.
Global cities house industries that promote the globalization of
markets. Global cities have been established , through the
Development of multinational corporations. In the coming decades
The number of global cities will dramatically increase.
Attributes of Global City
SEATS OF ECONOMIC POWER
 New York have the largest stock market in the world
 Tokyo houses has the most number of corporate/
business headquarters
 Shanghai plays critical role in the global economic
supply
Attributes of Global City
 CENTERS OF AUTHORITY
• Washington DC, not wealthy as New York, but it’s the
seat/place of American Power
• Canberra is Australia political capital: home to country’s
politicians and bureaucrats/officials/officeholders
 CENTERS OF POLITICAL INFLUENCE
• Cities that house major International Organizations: UN-
New York, EU-Brussels
 CENTERS OF HIGHER LEARNING AND CULTURE
The question then becomes how to identify these cities, and
perhaps to determine to what extent they function as global
cities specifically, beyond all of the other things that they do
simply as cities.
AT Kearney’s list, developed in conjunction with the
Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Global Cities Index
uses criteria across five dimensions:
A. Business Activity (headquarters, services firms, capital
markets value, number of international conferences, value
of goods through ports and airports)
B. Human Capital (size of foreign born population, quality of
universities, number of international schools, international student
population, number of residents with college degrees)
C. Information Exchange (accessibility of major TV news
channels, Internet presence (basically number of search hits),
number of international news bureaus, censorship, and broadband
subscriber rate)
D. Cultural Experience (number of sporting event, museums,
performing arts venues, culinary establishments, international
visitors, and sister city relationships).
E. Political Engagement (number of embassies and consulates,
think tanks, international organizations, political conferences)
The Institute for Urban Strategies at The Mori Memorial
Foundation in Tokyo published another study called “The Global
Power City Index 2011.” This report examined cities in terms of
functions demanded by several “actor” types: Manager,
Researcher, Artist, Visitor, and Resident.
The functional areas were:
1. Economy (Market Attractiveness, Economic Vitality, Business
Environment, Regulations and Risk)
2. Research and Development (Research Background, Readiness
for Accepting and Supporting Researchers, Research
Achievement)
3. Cultural Interaction (Trendsetting Potential, Accommodation
Environment, Resources of Attracting Visitors, Dining and
Shopping, Volume of Interaction)
4. Livability (Working Environment, Cost of Living, Security and
Safety, Life Support Functions)
5. Environment (Ecology, Pollution, Natural Environment)
6. Accessibility (International Transportation Infrastructure, Inner
City Transportation Infrastructure)
In the age of globalization, the activities of production are
scattered on a global basis.
These complex, globalized production networks require new
forms of financial and producer services to manage them.
Global City Power Top 10 (2016)
1. London, 6. Seoul
2. New York City, 7. Armsterdam
3. Tokyo, 8. Berlin
4. Paris, 9. Hongkong
5. Singapore, 10. Sydney