THE GLOBAL CITY

SOCS2a – The Contemporary World

Lesson 3

The GLOBAL CITY is a large place or concourse for different globalizing forces.

These forces include:

1. Amalgamation of population – the process of combining different population (Filipino,
American, Mexicans, Chinese, etc.)
2. Migration of people (pag-iibang bansa)
3. Production flow (goods and services)
4. Diverse ideas (kas inga iba-ibang uri ng tao)
5. Diverse lived experiences

Lahat ng nabanggit sa taas, those 5, all of those can be found in a GLOBAL CITY.

The key indicator of GLOBAL CITIES is the establishment of cultural diversity due to migration
and the movement of people, also known as human mobility.

Dahil kayang maggala ng mga tao sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng mundo, what do you think will happen
to different cities?

Cities will become ‘cosmopolitans’ or WORLD CITIES. Mga CITIES na kayang mag-serve sa
lahat ng URI NG TAO at sa BUONG MUNDO:

a. Cosmopolitan consumption
Halimbawa isa kang PINOY na nakatira sa New York, USA. Tapos nag-crave ka ng
ADOBONG MANACC. Because New York is considered a Global City, there is a possibility that
you can find local cuisines served internationally. Gets? Ibig-sabihin, yes, may mabibilhan ng
Filipino cuisines abroad, basta nasa isang GLOBAL CITY ka. And that goes for other
international cuisines, goods, and services.

b. Cosmopolitan Work Culture

Since your employees come from different parts of the world, you have to make
adjustments sa inyong Company policies and work cultures based sa kanilang religions, beliefs,
life style, etc. Halimbawa, meron kang employee from a certain religion, na bawal siya magtrabaho
tuwing Friday, so? How would you adapt to that?

c. Global Networking
Global cities have communication networks which spans the ENTIRE EARTH. How can
you call it a global city nga naman if it cannot even reach other countries.
d. Glocal Transnational Relations
Hindi po typo iyan, GLOCAL po talaga.
Glocal is the combination of the words GLOBAL and LOCAL.
Glocal is when you integrate GLOBAL good or service and the introduce it LOCALLY.

Halimbawa: STARBUCKS, yung coffee jelly nila

Diba ang SB ay isang GLOBAL company,

Pero alam nilang sikat sa mga Pinoy ang COFFEE JELLY
So, sinama nila sa kanilang Menu ang isang local favorite.

When a GLOBALIZED COMPANY tries to integrate their services in the LOCAL setting, what
we gat is GLOCALIZATION. Combination of global and local.

Another example:

7/11 stores sa iba’t ibang bansa.

Dito lang sa Pinas ang 7/11 na nagtitinda ng SISIG RICE, at UBE ICE CREAM.
Because 7/11 here knows the local favorite.
Kahit global na ang 7/11 they still integrate the local. So, sila ay glocalized.

Ayern.
#glocalgoals
BEFORE:
Dati, GLOBAL CITIES are composed of cities that control IMPERIAL POWER or could be the
cities that reign at the cross roads of the international merchant routes. MGA EMPIRES.
Controlled strictly by their LEADR: Kings, Emperors, Prime Ministers, Presidents, etc.

Ex: Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, Venice, Florence, Dutchland

TODAY:
Mahirap i-explain actually, lalo na sa ganitong isusulat ko lang, pero I will try my best:

First question: WHO CONTROLS THE CITIES?

Answer: Nation-states, or to put it, GOVERNMENTS

Obviously.

Second question: WHO CONTROLS THE GLOBAL CITIES?

Answer: Well, mahirap na sagutin. Of course yung batas ng gobyerno ay umiiral pa rin, pero there
is something na nag-a-allow sa global cities upang LUMIHIS sa governments. There is something
that governments have no power over in the GLOBAL CITIES.

Imagine niyo ang Global City na isang TUBIG SA LOOB NG BOTE. At yung BOTE ay
government.
Okay I’ll give you time.
.
.
.
.
.
Okay na? Na-imagine na?
So, the liquid will always follow the shape of the bottle, right? Meaning, whatever the government
dictates, the cities will follow.

So, ngayon, lagyan niyo ng CRACK sa ilalim yung bote. Or butas.

What will happen to the liquid?
Yes. Obviously it will FLOW outside the bottle, and then take whatever shape it wants.
.
.
.
And that, my beloved students, are the GLOBAL CITIES.
Global cities make their own way out from the shadows and the confined spaces of its government
and it goes beyond o lagpas pa, sa kanilang host nation.
Dati kasi lahat ng businesses, workplaces, at factories ay controlled ng governments. So everyone
must follow the rules. And then, humina ang power nila over the markets.

What happened? Bakit humina ang control ng GOVERNMENTS?

Naalala niyo ba noong hinayaang kontrolin ng governments ang MONETARY SYSTEMS? Yang
mga gold standard na yan? What happened? Happy ending ba?
HINDI DIBA? Lahat ng bansa after ng gyera, NALUGE.
Yan isa yan.

Then, luamakas ang INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, kung saan, you can acquire information
almost anywhere anytime, na hindi mo na kailangang dumepende pa sa government.

Another is the international FLOW of capital and goods kung saan pwede ka na magtinda sa ibang
bansa. DO you think your government can regulate you if you are operating sa ibang bansa na
merong mas mabait na gobyerno?
No they cannot.

Another factor is, PRIVATIZATION,

Maraming businesses and industries ang napunta sa capitalism -which means they have private
ownerships, which means na ang decision making process at paggawa ng rules ng isang company
ay nakasalalay lang sa ISANG tao o grup ng indibidwal – hindi sa governments.

Isa pa ay yung mahihirap na bansa.

Kapag mahirap ang bansa mo, pagbabawalan mo ba mag-invest ang mga mayayamang FOREIGN
COMPANIES sa sarili mong bansa? OF COURSE NOT.
You will allow them to operate sa bansa mo just to make your economy UP and RUNNING.
At para may trabaho din ang mga citizens mo.
So, may utang na loob ka sa foreign companies.
SO, pwede mo pa ba sila pakialaman sa desisyon nila sa bansa mo?
Hindi na.
Pag umalis sila, wasak ang ekonomiya mo.
Makipag selfie ka na lang sa kanila tuwing meron silang charity event sa isang ampunan.
Yan na lang ang magagawa mo para pogi sa susunod na botohan.

So yun.
Those are SOME of the reasons why Global Cities are moving away from the control of the
National/Government Power.
GLOBAL CITIES – 2 Sides

Side A
Hindi porket Global City na, puro positive na ang makikita natin. There is what we call the
GLOBAL PROBLEM.

These global problems include contradictions, hostilities, and inequalities on a global scale:

a. FOOD SECURITY – yung sa sobrang dami ng population, karamihan sa kanila walang pambili
ng pagkain, or kung meron mang pambili, ang problema naman ay wala nang mabilhan sa sobrang
daming consumers

b. INCLUSIVE GROWTH – sino ba ang yumayaman sa isang global city? Mga

BUSINESSPERSONS lang ba? Or pati mga employees? Is the growth beneficial for all or
beneficial for one

c. UNEMPLOYMENT – new technologies and inventions automate production, which means,

less human labor is needed in the future, kasama na rin ditto ang inyong future competitions sa
trabaho. #kayamagtapos

d. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – the problem is, kahait makapagtapos nga kayo, A.I. can learn
what you’ve studied in four years in just four seconds. Mas pinaliliit nito ang chances sa
employment in the future.

e. GENDER EQUALITY – is there equal economic and professional opportunities for all genders
in the future? No matter what gender you have?

f. HEALTHCARE – Does the City provide proper health care? Sa bansa na tinitirahan mo ngayon,
at naaksidente ka sa trabaho, will you be given proper healthcare package? What if biglang
nagkaroong ng PANDEMIC? …ay wait.

ENVIRONMENTAL Problems faced by global cities:

- Overconsumption
- Overpopulation
- Acid Rain
- Loss of biodiversity
- Deforestation
- Climate Change
- Ozone layer depletion
- Resource depletion
- Urban Sprawl (masyadong masikip na yung lugar, hindi kasi planadong maigi)
SIDE B

This side shows the advantages of a global city:

- Images of travel, explorations, and worldly recreations (Samgyupsal, Bungee Jumping,

Food Goals, Travel goals, coffee, waffles, tapas, Eiffel tower, Ramen, etc.)

- Significant growth in the economy

- Better infrastructures

- Better Public transports

- Different opportunities for all ages

- Learning and Education, Increase in Global Knowledge, Diversity of ideas

- International flow of Technology, research, development

- Innovation linkages, wide array of people with exceptional talent in different fields
(education, medicine, technology, finance, film, etc.)

Agglomeration Economies in Global Cities

Karamihan sa mga FIRMS (factories, companies, business places, restaurants, etc) ay nagsasama-
sama sa iisang lugar lamang. This is normal sa mga urban areas, lalo na sa mga global cities. This
means that people with specialized skills tend to migrate to these cities where they are essentially
needed.

For example:
Silicon Valley. IT setups tend to cluster in similar regions, such as Silicon Valley, California, and
major cities, like London. The reason is that these areas attract highly skilled IT personnel and it
is easier to recruit the right staff. Also, the support infrastructure will surround the areas. There
will be a competitive market for designers, software engineers, and proofreaders.

West Midlands car industry. In the UK, the West Midlands around Birmingham became an
important hub for car production in the UK. Around this area developed good transport links and
firms servicing the industry with spare parts.

Chinese clothing manufacturers. China has seen a strong growth in manufacturing industries on
the south-east coast. These areas have good transport links for exporting to the rest of the world.
Also, the areas have attracted migrant flows from northern China, enabling wage costs to remain
low.

Characteristics of a Global City

A global city, also called a power city, world city, alpha city or world center, is a city which is
a primary node in the global economic network.

These are SOME of the characteristics of a Global City.

• A variety of international financial services, notably in finance, insurance, real

estate, banking, accountancy, and marketing
• Headquarters of several multinational corporations
• The existence of financial headquarters, a stock exchange, and major financial
institutions
• Domination of the trade and economy of a large surrounding area
• Major manufacturing centers with port and container facilities
• Considerable decision-making power on a daily basis and at a global level
• Centers of new ideas and innovation in business, economics, culture, and politics
• Centers of media and communications for global networks
• Dominance of the national region with great international significance
• High percentage of residents employed in the services sector and information sector
• High-quality educational institutions, including renowned universities, international student
attendance, and research facilities
• Multi-functional infrastructure offering some of the best legal, medical, and entertainment
facilities in the country
• High diversity in language, culture, religion, and ideologies.
 GLOBAL CITIES AROUND THE WORLS
According to businessinsider.com/, these are the top 21 global cities around the world as of 2019:

21. Boston, Massachusetts

20. Amsterdam, Netherlands
19. Shanghai, China
18. Moscow, Russia
17. Toronto, Canada
16. Melbourne, Australia
15. Madrid, Spain
14. Berlin, Germany
13. Seoul, South Korea
12. Brussels, Belgium
11. Sydney, Australia
10. Washington, D.C.
9. Beijing, China
8. Chicago, Illinois
7. Los Angeles, California
6. Singapore City
5. Hong Kong
4. Tokyo, Japan
3. Paris, France
2. London, UK
1. Ney York City, New York

Other characteristics of Global Cities:

1. Business Activities – headquarters, services, firms, capital markets, international conferences,
value of goods through ports and airports

2. Human Capital – size of foreign-born population, quality of universities, number of

international schools, international student population, number of residents with college degrees

3. Information Exchange – accessibility of major TV news channels, Internet presence, number

of international news bureaus, censorships, and broadband subscriber rate

4. Cultural Experience – number of sporting events, museums, performing arts venues, culinary
establishments, international visitors, and sister city relationships

5. Political engagement – number of embassies and consulates, think tanks, international

organizations, political conferences
The Mori memorial Foundation Criteria

The Mori Memorial Foundation in Tokyo published a study with the following Global City
Criteria:

1. Economy – market attractiveness, economic vitality, business environment,

2. Research and Development – research background, readiness for accepting and supporting
researchers, research achievements
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

Summary

From being manufacturers, global cities today have shifted to the handling and shifting of MONEY
and IDEAS. Factories and manufacturers are now done outside the Global Cities. Karamihan ng
factories ngayon ay nasa Third World Cities (ouch!).

Global cities are also centers for TRENSETTERS, ARTS, FSHION, and DESIGN (Peisker, 2014).

Global cities demand specific professionals also known as KNOWLEDGE WORKERS –

comprised of mobile career-minded middle class. Dati kasi, ang demand sa City work force ay
workers, laborers, carpenters, etc. Ngayon, Global Cities are looking for I.T. Specialists, College
Professors, Psychiatrists, Artists, Writers, Advertisers, Lawyers, Engineers, Accountants, Doctors,
etc.

And when you try to separate the rich from the poor, and to create a separation between these
classes, you create a process called GENTRIFICATION.

Obviously, mahal ang real estate sa isang Global City (because of the large population), mahal
magpatayo ng bahay, mahal manirahan, at mahal mamuhay sa isang Global City.

Do you think common laborers and factory workers will stay in the Global Cities?
Obviously, no. (This is another example of gentrification.)

Global Cities Countries which are managed by their own governments

Hindi lahat ng global cities ay nagsimula sa privatization, economics, and society.

SINGAPORE and SHANGHAI are two cities which are created and managed by their
governments by keeping both the manufacturing industries and factories altogether with
professional services which lessened gentrification.
Moretti (2012) and Peisker (2014) explained that the most important 21st Century Cities are
represented by FIRMS and BRAIN HUBS.

These cities are places for INNOVATORS, TRENDSETTERS, CUTTING-EDGE BUSINESS

TECHNOLOGIES and IDEAS.

Global Cities are places for the creation of new ideas, technologies, and products.

There must be a high supply of PROFESSIONALS (people with diploma, bachelor’s, master’s,
and doctoral) in a Global City to pursue a knowledge economy (economy driven on new ideas).

QUIZ:

1. Provide at least seven (7) examples of GLOCALIZED products here in the Philippines.
2. Choose seven (7) out of the top 21 Global Cities given by businessinsider.com and discuss why
they are considered Global Cities.
3. Explain how a future teacher can contribute to the knowledge workforce needed in a GLOBAL
CITY?