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“World city” redirects here. For a city spanning an entire planet, see Ecumenopolis.
A global city or world city is a concept promoted by the geography department at Loughborough University which postulates that globalisation can be broken down in terms of strategic geographic locales that see global processes being created, facilitated and enacted. The most complex of these entities is the "global city", whereby the linkages binding a city have a direct and tangible effect on global affairs through more than just socio-economic means, with influence in terms of culture, or politics.[1] The terminology of "global city", as opposed to megacity, is thought to have been first coined by Saskia Sassen in reference to London, New York and Tokyo in her 1991 work The Global City.[2]
Contents
1General characteristics
1.1Table of the cities of the world
2GaWC Inventory of World Cities (1999 Edition)
2.1Alpha world cities (full service world cities)
2.2Beta world cities (major world cities)
2.3Gamma world cities (minor world cities)
2.4Evidence of world city formation
2.4.1Strong evidence
2.4.2Some evidence
2.4.3Minimal evidence
3GaWC Leading World Cities (2004 Edition)
3.1Global Cities
3.1.1Well rounded global cities
3.1.2Global niche cities - specialised global contributions
3.2World Cities
3.2.1Subnet articulator cities
3.2.2Worldwide leading cities
4Global Cities Conference 2006
5Other criteria
6See also
7References
8External links
General characteristics
It has been argued that global cities are those sharing the following characteristics:[citation needed]
International, first-name familiarity; whereby a city is recognised without the need for a political subdivision. For example, although there are numerous cities and other political entities with the name Paris or variations on it, one would say "Paris", not "Paris, France".
Active influence and participation in international events and world affairs; for example, New York City is home to the United Nationsheadquarters complex and consequently contains a vast majority of the permanent missions to the UN.[3]
A fairly large population (the centre of a metropolitan area with a population of at least one million, typically several million).
In the West, several international cultures and communities (such as a Chinatown, a Little Italy, or other immigrant communities). In other parts of the world, cities which attract large foreign businesses and related expatriate communities; for example, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Moscow.
A strong sporting community, including major sports facilities, home teams in major league sports, and the ability and historical experience to host international sporting events such as the Olympic Games, Football World Cup, or Grand Slamtennis events.
To some, London, New York City, Paris, and Tokyo have been traditionally considered the 'big four' world cities – not coincidentally, also serve as symbols of global capitalism.[citation needed] However, many people have their own personal lists, and any two lists are likely to differ based on cultural background, values, and experience.
In certain countries, the rise of suburbia and the ongoing migration of manufacturing jobs to these countries has led to significant urban decay. Therefore, to boost urban regeneration, tourism, and revenue, the goal of building a "world-class" city has recently become an obsession with the governments of some mid-size cities and their constituents.
An attempt to define and categorise world cities was made in 1999 by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC), based primarily at Loughborough University in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. The roster was outlined in the GaWC Research Bulletin 5[11] and ranked cities based on provision of "advanced producer services" such as accountancy, advertising, finance and law, by international corporations. The GaWC inventory identifies three levels of world cities and several sub-ranks.
Note that this roster generally denotes cities in which there are offices of certain multinational companies providing financial and consulting services rather than other cultural, political, and economic centres. There is a schematic map of GaWC cities at their website.[12]
An attempt to redefine and recategorise leading world cities was made by PJ Taylor at GaWC in 2004. This ranking list is referred to as the Official GaWC List.[14]
