World Cities
Global City or world city status is seen as beneficial, and because of this many groups have tried to classify and rank which cities are seen as ‘world cities’ or ‘non-world cities’. [3] Although there is a general consensus upon leading world cities, [4] the criteria upon which a classification is made can affect which other cities are included. [3] The criteria for identification tend either to be based on a “yardstick value” (”e.g. if the producer-service sector is the largest sector, then city X is a world city”)[3] or on an “imminent determination” (”if the producer-service sector of city X is greater than the producer-service sector of N other cities, then city X is a world city”). [3]
The characteristics sometimes chosen include
* International, first-name familiarity; whereby a city is recognized without the need for a political subdivision. For example, although there are numerous cities and other political entities with the name London or variations on it, one would say “London”, not “London, United Kingdom”.
* Active influence on and participation in international events and world affairs; for example, Washington, Berlin, Brussels are major capitals of influential nations or unions.
* A fairly large population (the centre of a metropolitan area with a population of at least one million, typically several million).
* A major international airport that serves as an established hub for several international airlines.
* An advanced transportation system that includes several highways and/or a large mass transit network offering multiple modes of transportation (rapid transit, light rail, regional rail, ferry, or bus).
* In the West, several international cultures and communities (such as a Chinatown, a Little Italy, a Tehrangeles or other immigrant communities); for example, New York City, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, São Paulo and Vancouver. 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.
* International financial institutions, law firms, corporate headquarters, international conglomerates, and stock exchanges (for example the World Bank, or the New York Stock Exchange) that have influence over the world economy.
* An advanced communications infrastructure on which modern trans-national corporations rely, such as fiberoptics, Wi-Fi networks, cellular phone services, and other high-speed lines of communications.
* World-renowned cultural institutions, such as museums and universities.
* A lively cultural scene, including film festivals (such as the Berlinale or the Toronto International Film Festival), premieres, a thriving music or theatre scene (for example, West End theatre and Broadway); an orchestra, an opera company, art galleries, and street performers.
* Several powerful and influential media outlets with an international reach, such as the BBC, Reuters, The New York Times, or Agence France-Presse.
* 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 Slam tennis events.
[edit] Studies
One attempt to define, categorize, and rank global cities was made in 1999 by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC) based at the geography department of Loughborough University. The roster was outlined in the GaWC Research Bulletin 5 and ranked cities based on their provision of “advanced producer services” such as accountancy, advertising, finance, and law.[4] The GaWC inventory identifies three levels of global cities and several sub-ranks. This roster generally denotes cities in which there are offices of certain multinational corporations providing financial and consulting services rather than denoting other cultural, political, and economic centres.
An attempt to redefine and re-categorise leading global cities was made by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC) in 2004. This new roster acknowledged several new indicators but still retained a stark focus on economics rather than on political or cultural importance. The roster is reproduced below:
Global Cities[5]
Well rounded global cities
1. Very large contribution: London and New York City.
Smaller contribution and with cultural bias: Los Angeles, Paris, and San Francisco
2. Incipient global cities: Amsterdam, Boston, Chicago, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Toronto.
Global niche cities - specialised global contributions
1. Financial: Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.
2. Political and social: Brussels, Geneva and Washington, D.C.
World Cities
Subnet articulator cities
1. Cultural: Berlin, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Munich, Oslo, Rome, Stockholm.
2. Political: Bangkok, Beijing, Vienna.
3. Social: Manila, Nairobi, Ottawa.
Worldwide leading cities
1. Primarily economic global contributions: Frankfurt, Miami, Munich, Osaka, Singapore, Sydney, Zurich
2. Primarily non-economic global contributions: Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Atlanta, Basel, Barcelona, Cairo, Denver, Harare, Lyon, Manila, Mexico City, Mumbai, New Delhi, Shanghai.
[edit] Other criteria
The GaWC list is based on specific criteria and, thus, may not include other cities of global significance or elsewhere on the spectrum. For example, cities with the following:
* Large populations, proper and agglomerated
* Diverse demographic constituencies[6]
* Based on various indicators:[7]
o Population, habitat,[8] mobility,[9] and urbanisation[10]
* Significant financial capacity/output:
o city/regional[11] GDP[12]
o Stock market indices[13]/market capitalisation
o Headquarters for multinational corporations
o Financial service provision;[14] e.g., banks, accountancy
o Employment
* Based on quality of life[15] or city development[16]
* Based on costs of living[17]
o Based on personal wealth; e.g., number of billionaires[18]
* Significant transport infrastructure:
o Airports with significant passenger traffic[19] or cargo movements
o Extensive and popular[20] mass transit systems
o Prominent rail usage[21]
o Road vehicle usage[22]
o Major seaports[23]
* Significant technological capabilities/infrastructure:
o Prominent skylines/skyscrapers[24]
* Significant institutions:
o Educational institutions; e.g., universities,[25] international student attendance[26]
o Research facilities
o Health facilities; e.g. hospitals, medical laboratories
* Sites of pilgrimage for world religions
* Hosting headquarters for international organizations
* Cities containing World Heritage Sites of historical and cultural significance[27]
* High endowments of cultural facilities:
o Notable museums and galleries
o Notable opera
o Notable orchestras
o Notable film centres and film festivals
o Notable theatre centres
o Sites of major international sports events; e.g., Olympic Games sites[28]
* Tourism throughput:
o Visitors
o Economy
o Events
* Site or subject in Arts and Media
o TV, Film, Video Games, Music
o Literature, Magazines, Articles, Documentary
o Historic Reference, Showcase
Selected criteria
Rank Population of city (proper) Population of metropolitan area Percentage foreign born[6] Expatriate cost of living[17] Metro systems by annual passenger ridership Top 10 rail systems by length Annual by passenger in a single airport [29] Number of billionaires (U.S. dollars)[30][31][32] Gross Metropolitan Product at PPPs (Total output; not per capita) [33]
1 Mumbai Tokyo Miami Moscow Tokyo London Atlanta Moscow Tokyo
2 Karachi Mexico City Toronto London Moscow New York City Chicago New York City New York City
3 Delhi Seoul Los Angeles Seoul New York City Tokyo London London Los Angeles
4 São Paulo New York City Vancouver Tokyo Seoul Seoul Tokyo Istanbul Chicago
5 Shanghai São Paulo New York City Hong Kong Mexico City Madrid Los Angeles Hong Kong Paris
6 Moscow Mumbai Singapore Copenhagen Paris Moscow Paris Los Angeles London
7 Seoul Delhi Sydney Geneva London Paris Dallas Mumbai Greater Osaka Metropolitan Region
8 Istanbul Shanghai Abidjan Osaka Hong Kong Mexico City Frankfurt San Francisco Mexico City
9 Mexico City Jakarta London Zürich Osaka Hong Kong Beijing Dallas Philadelphia
10 Tokyo Moscow Paris Oslo São Paulo Chicago Madrid Tokyo Washington, D.C.
