WEEK 8: Global City

2nd Semester I S.Y.

GECC2022-2023
108: THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
Instructor: Mr. Isidrian Paolo S. Montes

Defining Global Cities economic supply chain ever since China has become
the manufacturing center of the world.
Sociologist Saskia Sassen popularized the term
“global city” in the 1990’s. Her work, The Global Global cities are also seats of political power and
City: New York, London, Tokyo (1991) has shaped center of authority. Washington D.C may not
the concepts and methods that other theorists have be as wealthy as of New York, but it is the seat
used to analyze the role of cities and their networks of the American state of power. Likewise, the
in the contemporary world. Key to Sassen's concept city was known all over the world for its major
of the global city is an emphasis on the flow of landmarks such as the White House, the
information and capital. Cities are major nodes in Capitol Building (Congress), the Supreme
the interconnected systems of information and Court, the Lincoln Memorial, and the
money, and the wealth that they capture is Washington Monument. Similarly, the cities
intimately related to the specialized businesses that house the major international organizations
that facilitate those flows -- financial institutions, may also be considered centers of political
consulting firms, accounting firms, law firms, and influence. The perfect example of this are the
media organizations. Sassen points out that these United Nations in New York and the European
flows are no longer tightly bound to national Union in Brussels. A decision made in this city
boundaries and systems of regulation; so, the can, therefore, affect the political economy of
dynamics of the global city are dramatically different an entire continent and beyond.
than those of the great cities of the nineteenth
century. Finally, global cities are centers of higher
Likewise, global cities serve as engines and place learning and culture. A lot of publishing
industries, well known universities, and film
where globalization takes place where highly
globalized and competitive metropolitan economies industries are found in these cities. The cultural
power of global cities today, becomes globally
with the deepest and most settled concentrations of
firms, capitals, and talent are located. The “Big Six” diverse. Los Angeles is the center of the
American film industry. Universities such as
includes the traditional “super cities” of London,
New York, Paris, and Tokyo, joined by the most the National University in Singapore, Ecole
Polytechnique in Paris, and Boston’s
recent global urbanized cities of Hong Kong and
Singapore. University of Montreal are known as the
leading universities in the world for their
Sassen mentioned some attributes of global cities. To strongest research development both in
sum up the indicators of global cities of Sassen, we academe and in field of science and
could remember the acronym: technology.

3 Power
Aside from the essential traits of a global city,
 Economic Power
Sassen identifies four key functions of the global
 Political Power
city:
 Cultural Power.
1) they are highly concentrated command posts in
Economic power is the foremost characteristic of the organization of the world economy.
global cities as Sassen strongly emphasizes that 2) they are key locations for finances and specialized
economic power largely determines which cities are service firms providing “producer services”
global. Like for example, New York may have the (professional and corporate services, i.e., services
largest stock market in the world, but Tokyo houses inputs for TNCs), to the leading global firms.
the greatest number of corporate headquarters (613 3) they are sites for the production and innovation of
company headquarters as against 217 in New these producer services and headquarters for
York, its closest competitor). Shanghai may have a producer-service firms.
smaller stock market compared to New York and 4) they are markets for the products and innovations
Tokyo but plays a critical role in the global produced and in these cities.
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urban super-rich grows, many cities will also

The Challenges of Global City see increased numbers of urban poor.
The widening gap between the haves and have-
The UN estimates that 55% of the global nots will be accentuated in the megacities of
population lives in urban areas – a figure that is the future. Such inequalities, when left
projected to rise to 68% by 2050. With a few unchecked, will destabilize society, and upend
exceptions, cities are expected to become any benefits of urban development. There is a
bigger and more numerous. critical need for policymakers to ensure that the
As urbanization speeds up, particularly in fruits of progress are shared equitably.
Asian and African countries, here are five of 4. Technology
the biggest challenges confronting the future of Technology will be increasingly used in the
cities.
1. Environmental threats development and running of cities of the
future. Smart planning used in Singapore can
Rapid urbanization, which strains basic
infrastructure, coupled with more frequent and harness solar energy for use in housing estates
and create man-made wetlands for ecological
extreme weather events linked to global climate
change is exacerbating the impact of environmental balance. Smart mobility technology can
alleviate traffic gridlocks which plague many
threats. Common environmental threats include
flooding, tropical cyclones to which coastal cities are cities. The use of environmental technologies
which can cool buildings more efficiently or
particularly vulnerable, heat waves and epidemics.
Owing to the physical and population density of run vehicles that are less polluting will also
lead to better future cities. Installing sensors in
cities, such threats often result in both devastating
financial loss and deaths. Making cities more the homes of ageing seniors living alone can
connect them to the community and summon
resilient against these environmental threats is one of
the biggest challenges faced by city authorities and help when they are unwell or hurt.
5. Governance
requires urgent attention.
Future cities offer immense possibilities to enrich the
lives of their inhabitants even as the challenges are
2. Resources
stark. To make the best out of inevitable
• Cities need resources such as water, food, and energy urbanization, good governance is imperative. Cities
to be viable. Urban sprawl reduces available will increase in size and their populations will
water catchment areas, agricultural lands and become more diverse. Governing these cities will,
increases demand for energy. While better therefore, be progressively complex and require the
application of technology can boost most dedicated of minds. Increasingly, cities around
agricultural productivity and ensure more the world are learning about the best governance and
efficient transmission of electricity, many cities planning practices from one another, even as they
will continue to struggle to provide these remain accountable to their respective national
resources to an ever-growing urban population. governments. The broad goals of urban governance
Beyond these basic requirements, haphazard should address issues of equity, livability, and
growth will see the reduction of green spaces sustainability in cities of the future.
within cities, negatively affecting livability. As
fresh water becomes scarce and fertile lands QUALIFICATIONS OF A GLOBAL CITY
diminish, food prices may escalate, hitting the There are several ways in which a city can be
poorest hardest. considered as a global city. Firstly, a city should
3. Inequality have a combination of powerful, strong, and
• When it comes to both the provision of basic unique culture, style, and history. This is because
resources and resilience against environmental culture is one of important businesses in a city that
threats, the forecast is uneven for different provides many tourist attractions. Rome for instance,
groups of urban inhabitants. As the number of has been very powerful and influential in the
development of world culture. It is one of the richest

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and dynamic cities in Europe. During the previous headquartered in this city. According to Lipsitz
years, cultures in Rome have been contained within (2010), a global city needs to have a lot of capital,
its borders. However, as the rate of communication information on trade, business, and multinational
increases due to globalization, the culture in Rome is companies. New York City has all this. Furthermore,
now rapidly mixed on a global scale. A culture may New York City made it as a global city because it is
not necessarily mean the traditions and values in that considered as a location for one of the major centers
city but also the art, food and architecture. Moreover, of finance and commerce (Lipsitz, 2010). Manhattan,
culture has become an economic machine whereby it which is one of the districts of New York City, it is
has a variety of activities through its traditional and the economic heart of the city that contains many
modern appeal like the Roman Catholic Church in headquarters such as the United Nations which has a
Rome (Taylor, 2004: p57). In addition, Rome major influence in the world as well as the stock
actually influences the world on the subjects of exchange on the Wall Street. Since the stock market
culture, religion and architecture and it is worldwide is presence in New York, the city has an advantage
known as a center of arts. Due to the city’s of controlling on what goes in and out of the country.
importance and influence in culture and religion, it Thus, if a problem occurs in New York, it means that
has been nicknames as the Eternal City of the world it will influence the stock markets globally. For
(Taylor, 2004: p57). Most importantly fact about instance, during the September attacks, there was an
Rome is that it is “the main center of pilgrimage in effect on the global economy causing the global
the Christian community” (Taylor, 2004: 56p). stock markets to decrease rapidly and also caused a
Because of the presence of the first Roman Catholic, delay in the opening of the New York’s stock
it has made it to be an influential city since many exchange when a plane crashed into the World Trade
people especially Christians meet in that area during Center building. This shows that a global city has a
Easter season to experience and enjoy the traditional major influence in other cities as well not just its
procession of the pope. Additionally, for a city to domain city like when the New York stock exchange
become global, it should have an existence of delayed, London, which is a global city as well, its
substantial and vibrant cultural economy with a high stock exchange was evacuated.
level of interconnectedness in the global cultural
network. And since the city of Rome and Paris
contain world heritage sites, it has a significance
being a global city historically and culturally.

Secondly, a global city is a city of demographic

and economic change. It contains international
organizations, different firms such as law firms,
headquarters for the multinational countries as
well as stock exchanges that influences the
world’s economy. Also, in a global city, the cost of
living is better than other cities and there are several
billionaires. For instance, New York City, it is the
most populous city in the United States of America.
It is also the center of international business, a
command center in the world’s economy and the
main center for business such as legal services,
world trade, insurance, banking etc. Due to its
increase in the economic growth, New York City has
become the largest city in the world in terms of
economy (Sassen, 2001: p39). New York City is a
global city because it has powerful organizations that
are linked to the other parts and many of the major
corporations and multinational companies are

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