World Cities in a World System.ppt

World Cities in a World System What makes our distanciated life possible? Connections! …between the cyborg and the world …between disembodied interaction and embodied life …between more and less connected populations Our sense of being connected to networks, our mobility, and our involvement with other places depend on the existence of certain core locations that create a global economy and help it call into existence the technologies it needs Walter Christaller’s concept of the central place system (1933) Melvin Webber’s concept of the “nonplace urban realm” (1964) Do we inhabit a “space of places” (M. Castells) or a “space of flows” (M. Castells) BOTH a global network of connections that supports flows of capital, information, people goods There are many ways to rank or prioritize world cities Global Cities as Control Points Global capital flows are channeled through particular locations Knox calls “technopoles” These world cities become increasingly powerful headquarters of TNCs producer services finance advertising telecommunications information processing legal services consulting All countries gradually lose control over human welfare, capital flows, culture, and information Poor countries fare the worst in this regard Moving deeper … World cities exert control over economic power (capital) cultural power (influence) political power (threat) Historical context Cities originally controlled all of these, plus military power Later (18th – mid 20th c.) states controlled all of these states still wield military power, but other forms of power are increasingly controlled from “above” or “below” the state The city’s role is increasing again first focus: capital flows economic power Transnational Capital Flows Transnational financial flows (some illustrations): loans from World Bank International Monetary Fund (IMF) (about $30 billion/yr.) remittances to families (over $100 billion/yr.) direct foreign investment (over $1 trillion/yr.) currency trading (