GLOBAL CITIES

WHAT IS A GLOBAL CITY ?

A global city, also called a world city or a world center is a generally considered to be an important node in the global economic system.

The concept comes from geography and urban studies, and the idea that globalization can be understood as largely created, facilitated, enacted in strategic geographic locales according to a hierarchy of importance to the operation of the global system of finance and trade.

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 trough social-economic means.

The use of "global city", as opposed to megacity, was popularized by sociologist Saskia SASSEN in her 1991 work, The global cities: NYC, London & Tokyo Although the term of "world city" refers to cities that control a disproportionate amount of global business.

We can sum up the definition with 4 main features:

• Function as a key point in the global world economy
• Prominence of business and financial services
• Importance of global communication for the exchange of information
• Development of a global culture

Characteristics of a global city:

• A large population
• International financial institutions, law firms, corporate headquarters, stock exchanges that have influence on the world economy
• An advanced communication infrastructure
• Several international cultures and communities
• A major international airport that provides flights to different parts of the world
• An advanced transportation system that offers multiple modes of transportation
• A lively cultural scene, including film festivals, a thriving music or theater scene, art galleries and street performers
• Cultural institutions such as museums and universities
• Several powerful and influential media outlets with an international reach