↗URBN 1000: Introduction to CitiesPART I: WHAT IS A CITY?: DEFINITIONS, ORIGINS, & GLOBAL PERSPECTIVESClass Outline: ➢ Cities in the Developing World➢ Global Cities➢ Informal economy and housingWhat is the “developing world”?↗ “Developed world”: Western, industrialized nations:W. Europe, United States, Japan, Canada, Australia & New Zealand“Developing world”: everyone else; poorer countries of the world, the so-called “Third World” ↗ The developing world have a unique history that is different from the “Western world”↗ These regions had indigenous cities that…↗ fell under the control of colonization (primarily Europe), ↗ underwent extreme exploitation of humans and resources, ↗ and eventually (after much violence) gained independence throughout the last 200 yearsCities in the Developing World: Today↗ These cities are experiencing some of the most rapid rates of population and human growth↗ Population growth is outpacing—by far—the population growth of cities in the Western world↗ The economic well-being of these cities is linked to a world-systems economy (the global economy)Example: Mexico City↗ 1910 population: 720,753↗ 1930: 1.23 million↗ 1950: 3 million↗ 1970: 6.8 million↗ Today: 8.8 million↗ Symbolizes the global city of inequality↗ Tens of thousands of people immigrating to the city↗ Unequal distribution of resources↗ Extreme gaps between the rich and the poorPrimate Cities↗ Primate city: Large cities in a region that are extremely large compared to other cities in the country↗ These types of cities predominate in the developing world↗ In some cases, a single city is home to more than half of a country’s total urban population↗ Paris: 9.6 million↗ Marseilles: 1.3 millionStudying the Developing World↗ Developing world also referred to as “the global south”↗ It’s extremely problematic to cluster all that is non-Western into one big group called the developing world↗ Huge differences between physical and human geographies↗ Africa: over 1,000 spoken languages↗ Asia: 4 major cultural traditions (China, India, Japan, SE Asia)↗ Latin America: varies immensely from country to country, in terms of population composition, resources, & economic development↗ Middle East (Western Asia): huge variations, similar to Latin AmericaLanguage: Defining the Developing World↗ Classification schemas:↗ Developed world vs. The Developing World↗ First World vs. Third World (based off industrialization)↗ Core vs. Periphery↗ The Global South vs. The Global North↗ These categories are based off economic classifications↗ Economic development, country's revenue (GDP); inequality↗ Critique: creates an urban hierarchy↗ Doesn’t actually represent the world today:↗ China, India, & Brazil, Thailand, and Korea are NICs (newly industrializing countries): increasingly important and influential global economic powersEuropean Dominance and Colonization↗ Colonization↗ Example: Tenochtitlán:↗ Conquered by Cortés, 1521: massive wiping-out of indigenous populations, through mass killings and deadly epidemics↗ In a single century, it is estimated that the indigenous population went from 25 million to ~ 1 million↗ After conquering, conquistadors established “a city focused around a completely European culture” Similar pattern and fates followed other indigenous cities↗ Exploitation of richer, European countries of the poorer, Latin American countries (both of people and of natural wealth)Global Cities↗ Global cities: Positioning the analysis of cities into the world/global economy; also known as world cities↗ Those cities that are seen as the most important and influential within the global economy↗ Argument that cities now matter more than counties, particularly in regards to economies↗ Increasing importance of the information technology↗ Shift from manufactured-based economy to service-based economy—requires highly specialized skills↗ Privatization, deregulation, and the opening up of national economies to foreign firmsGlobal cities↗ Global cities theory emerged in 1991: sociology, geography, and urban studies↗ The original 3 (1991): New York, London, and Tokyo↗ Today: Paris, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seoul (S Korea), Singapore, Beijing, Mumbai (India)Globalization↗ Global cities is/are part of the larger narrative of globalization↗ Argument rests on the idea that globalization—within the economic sense—can be understood as a created process that is facilitated by strategic geographic locations of cities within the global hierarchy↗ This is what makes the global economy function and operate but not everyone can equally participate in it!↗ Global Cities are those cities that control a disproportionate amount of the global income↗ But this also is leading to global inequalityWhat is “globalization”?↗ A new conceptual way of understanding the world, cities, and the economy↗ Fairly recent urban analysis: 1980s-today↗ Part of the larger narrative of globalization↗ The interconnected world and the role of cities within that world↗ McDonald’s and Starbucks are now everywhere around the globe!↗ Global inequality: some cities win while other cities lose↗ Parallels the rapid urbanization in the global south↗ Global south cities are now the most likely to become global cities, not Western cities2013 City Income by GDP1. Tokyo: $1.5 trillion2. New York City: $1.2 trillion3. Los Angeles $789 billion4. Seoul, S. Korea $779 billion5. London $731 billion6. Paris $669 billion7. Osaka, Japan $654 billion8. Chicago $524 billion9. Moscow $520 billion10. Shanghai $516 billionCharacteristics of global cities↗ Hub of global financial services: finance, real estate, insurance, banking, accounting, and marketing↗ Headquarters of multinational corporations↗ Outsourcing jobs for cheap labor: worker would make $19/hr in US but a corporation (Nike) can pay the same worker in Indonesia for $2/hr↗ Headquarters of global stock exchanges↗ Major manufacturing facilities↗ Most influential decision-making power in the global sphere↗ Centers of new ideas & innovation: highly educated population↗ Centers of media and global communications networks“3rd World” Urbanization“3rd World” Urbanization: Dubai 2013Abu Dhabi: old meets newGlobal CitiesGlobal CitiesRelative world povertyCities in the Global South: The challenges↗ Rapid
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