THE GLOBAL CITY

Lesson Objectives

• Analyze how cities serve as

engines of globalization.
Sub-topics to be discussed…
Definitions of Attributes of
01 Global City?
02 Global City

Top 10 Global Reasons of

03 Power Cities
04 studying Global
Cities
GLOBAL
CITY
GLOBAL CITY
GLOBAL CITY
GLOBAL CITY
 “Used the concept of global cities
to describe the three urban centers
of New York, London, and Tokyo
as economic centers that exert
control over the world’s political
economy.
 “Sassen’s concept of
Global City gives
emphasis on the flow of
information and capital.
“Alternatively, these cities
can be seen as important
nodes in a variety of global
networks.
 “Although cities are major
beneficiaries of globalization,
he claimed that they are also
the most severely affected by
global problems.
❑ Civilization – comes from the Latin word
civis, meaning “a person living in a city”
❑ Ferdinand Tonnies (1855-1937) –
developed a theoretical continuum to
analyze the difference between rural and
urban living.
 GEMEINSCHAFT(community/rural
❑ A German word which means “roughly community”
❑ A type of social organization in which people are closely tied by
kinship and tradition.
❑ Refers to individuals bound together by common norms, often
because of shared physical space and shared beliefs. ..
❑ A community characterized by a relatively small population, a
simple division of labor, face to face interaction, and informal
social control.
❑ Share a strong sense of cohesiveness, common values, and a
commitment to strive for the common good.
 ❑ GESELLSCHAFT (society/urban)

❑ A society made up of a large population

characterized by loose associations, a complex
division of labor, secondary relationship, and formal
social control.
❑ More heterogenous in values with much less
emphasis on common goals.
❑ Social relations are based on impersonal ties as
duty to a society or organization.
 ❑ URBANIZATION
❑ Refers to the movement of masses of people
from rural to urban areas and an increase in
urban influence over all spheres of culture and
society.
❑ Increase in the proportion of people living in the
cities, and urbanism reflects changes in
attitudes, values, and lifestyles.
Three structural facts
about global cities
➢ One is a concentration
of wealth in the hands Second is a growing
of owners, partners,
and professionals
disconnection
associated with the between the city
high-end firms in this and its region
system.
Third is the growth of
a large marginalized
population that has a
very hard time earning
a living in the
marketplace defined
by these high-end
activities.
 01SEATS OF
ECONOMIC POWER
02 CENTERS OF
AUTHORITY

CENTERS OF CENTERS OF HIGHER

03 POLITICAL 04 LEARNING AND
INFLUENCE CULTURE
 1. Tokyo, Japan
2. New York, USA
3. Los Angeles, California United States
4. Seoul, Korea
5. London, England
6. Paris, France
7. Osaka, Japan
8. Chicago, Illinois United States
9. Moscow, Russia
10. Shanghai, China
 1. New York
2. Hongkong
3. Moscow
4. Beijing
5. London
6. Shanghai
7. San Francisco
8. Shenzen
9. Seoul
10. Mumbai
Main Reasons why we need to study GLOBAL CITIES
because it is the center of the following:
• Business Activity (headquarters, services firms, capital
markets value, number of international conferences,
value of goods through ports and airports)
• Human Capital (size of foreign-born population, quality
of universities, number of international schools,
international student population, number of residents
with college degrees)
• 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)
• Cultural Experience (number of sporting event,
museums, performing arts venues, culinary
establishments, international visitors, and sister city
relationships).
• Political Engagement (number of embassies and
consulates, think tanks, international organizations,
political conferences).
References: