SYLLABUS TOPIC 2

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SYLLABUS TOPIC 2

• URBAN PLACES
• World Cities
• Mega Cities
• Urban Dynamics including case studies of
• a large city (Sydney)
• - suburb (research project)
• - large regional centres and country
  towns

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• WORLD CITIES

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A world city is.

• Defined as a large city that has outstripped its
  national urban network.it has become part of an
  international global system.it is a centre of
• (a) political power
• (b) world trade and communication
• (c) a leader in banking and finance
• (d) attracts world stage, entertainment and
  sporting events
• (e) HQ non-government and TNCs
• (f) major tourist destination
• (g) are the command and control centres in the
  borderless domain of the new global economy

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Why have world cities developed?

• The emergence of world cities is the product of
  the GLOBALISATION of economic activity
• ..this has steadily been occurring since
  humans started moving across the globe....it
  increased with the industrial revolution.then
  after World War 2.
• Globalisation is the process of global economic
  and cultural integration.

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The Character of World Cities

• The control and command centres in the network of
  cities in the global economy
• Centres for most leading global markets in
  finance, banking, commodities
• Sites for the concentration of corporate HQ and
  TNCs
• Centres of specialised high order business
  services such as accounting, advertising, law and
  property development
• Sites where most leading NGOs, Intergovernmental
  organisations, trade and professional
  organisations are found.

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• Are prestigious locations for entertainment,
  affluent lifestyle and housing
• Attractive places to live for highly specialised
  and highly paid elite workers in the corporate
  head offices, businesses and financial services
• Are major transport hubs
• Are key locations for major media, fashion,
  design and film organisations.
• Are concentrations for the electronic exchange of
  information together with the infrastructure to
  support this exchange
• Are major tourist centres

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Reasons for the rise of World Cities

• Since the 1950s there has been an acceleration
  in the growth of world cities due to
• 1. Technology improvements in transport and
  communication eg. Rise of container shipping,
  refrigerated transport, satellite technology, the
  PC, mobile phones, blackberries, email, wireless
  communication and demise of the telegraph, telex,
  typewriter and land line
• 2. Deregulation of financial markets money can
  move electronically across borders easily
• 3. Emergence of Transnational corporations
  (TNCs) eg. Unilever, News Limited.
• 4. New ways of organising business operations eg.
  outsourcing or moving labour intensive
  manufacturing off-shore to low cost developing
  countries
• 5. Emergence of new information based forms of
  economic activity eg. Investment capital,
  equities, bonds, foreign exchange, futures
  investment.
• 6. Reduction of trade barriers and tariffs
  (taxes) between countries to allow easier
  movement of goods between countries

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Spatial Pattern

• World cities are large urbanised areas with
  extensive links globally, nationally and locally
  in all aspects of its economy
• These cities have between 1 and 20 million people
• These cities are classified according to their
  economic power into a hierarchy from dominant
  world cities, major world cities to secondary
  world cities then national and sub national
  cities.
• Dominant world cities are NY, London and Tokyo
• Major world cities include Paris, Los Angeles,
  Munich
• Secondary world cities include Sydney, Hong
  Kong, Seattle and Sao Paulo
• Sydney is Australias only world city with most
  of the headquarters of businesses located in
  Sydney it has a high ranking futures and stock
  exchange and major international gateway
• Within the global network are several subsystems
  including
• Asia Tokyo-Singapore-Hong Kong North
  America NY, Chicago and LA Western Europe
  London, Paris, Rome

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Examples of the globalisation of markets,
finance, culture, communication, transport,
tourism

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Examples of Globalisation of culture and economy

• Coca Cola
• Nike
• Nokia
• Microsoft
• Big Brother
• Australian Idol
• Matrix and Superman movies
• Fox Studios
• Daily Telegraph
• Price Waterhouse Coopers
• Nestle (chocolate and food company)

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Dominance and Dependence

• Some urban places exert dominance over other
  places
• Other urban centres rely upon more powerful urban
  centres for
• (a) material wellbeing
• (b) goods and services they need
• (c) investment
• (d) information
• (e) culture
• (f) income