World Class CitiesRakesh Mathana

Global city• A global city (also called world city or sometimes alpha city or world center) is a Specialized

City deemed to be an important node point in the global economic system. The concept comes from geography and urban studies and rests on the idea that globalization can be understood as largely created, facilitated and 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 through socio-economic means. The terminology of "global city", as opposed to megacity, was popularized (not coined or invented) by the sociologist Saskia Sassen in reference to her 1991 work, "The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo" though the term "world city" to describe cities which control a disproportionate amount of global business dates to at least May 1886, to a description of Liverpool by the Illustrated London News. Patrick Geddes also used the term "world city" later in 1915. Cities can fall from such categorization, as in the case of cities that have become less cosmopolitan and less internationally renowned in the current era, e.g., Kaliningrad, Russia; Thessaloniki, Greece; and Alexandria, Egypt.

CriteriaGlobal 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'.Although there is a consensus upon leading world cities, the criteria upon which a classification is made can affect which other cities are included. 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") 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").

Economic characteristics

• Corporate headquarters for multinational corporations, international financial institutions, law firms, conglomerates, and stock exchanges that have influence over the world economy.

• Significant financial capacity/output: city/regional GDP• Stock market indices/market capitalisation• Financial service provision; e.g., banks, accountancy• Costs of living personal wealth; e.g., number of billionaires

The New York Stock Exchange

Political characteristics• Active influence on and participation in international events and world affairs; for

example, Washington, London, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin, Rome,Moscow, Canberra or Beijing are major capitals of influential nations or unions.

• Hosting headquarters for international organizations (World Bank), NATO headquarters• A large proper, population of the municipality (the centre of a metropolitan area,

typically several million) or agglomeration• Diverse demographic constituencies based on various indicators: population,

habitat, mobility, and urbanisation• Quality of life standards or city development• Expatriate communities

The Palace of Westminster

Cultural characteristics• International, first-name familiarity. For example, New York City is commonly

referred to as just "New York" without needing to specify that it is in the state of New York or even the United States.

• Renowned cultural institutions (often with high endowments), such as notable museums and galleries, notable opera, orchestras, notable film centres and theatre centres. A lively cultural scene, including film festivals (such as the Toronto International Film Festival), premieres, a thrivingmusic scene, nightlife, an opera company, art galleries, street performers, and annual parades.

• Several 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, FIFA World Cup, or Grand Slam tennis events.[19]

• Educational institutions; e.g., universities,[20] international student attendance,[21]

 research facilities• Sites of pilgrimage for world religions (for example, Mecca, Jerusalem or Rome)• Cities containing World Heritage Sites of historical and cultural significance[22]

• Tourism throughout• City as site or subject in arts and media, television, film, video games, music,

literature, magazines, articles, documentary (for example, Los Angeles)• City as an often repeated historic reference, showcase, or symbolic actions

• The Louvre in Paris

The Louvre in Paris

Infrastructural characteristics• 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), for example the London Underground.

• Extensive and popular mass transit systems, prominent rail usage, road vehicle usage, major seaports

• A major international airport that serves as an established hub for several international airlines, for example, London. Airports with significant passenger traffic and international passengers traffic or cargo movements.

• An advanced communications infrastructure on which modern trans-national corporations rely, such as fiberoptics, Wi-Fi networks, cellular phoneservices, and other high-speed lines of communications. For example, Seoul and Tokyo are known as the digital and technology capitals of the world.

• Health facilities; e.g., hospitals, medical laboratories• Prominent skylines/skyscrapers (for example Chicago or Hong Kong)• Cities' telephone and mail services, airport flights-range, traffic

congestion, availability of water, train facilities, nearby parks, hospitals, libraries, police stations, etc.

JR Central N700 series shinkansen set Z28 on the Sanyo Shinkansen between Okayama and Aioi stations

Studies• GaWC studies• The first attempt to define, categorize, and rank global cities using

'relational data' was made in 1998 by Jon Beaverstock, Richard G Smith and Peter Taylor, who all worked at that time at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom. Together they established the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. A roster of world cities was outlined in the GaWC Research Bulletin 5 and ranked cities based on their connectivity through four "advanced producer services": accountancy, advertising, banking/finance, and law. 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.

• The 2004 rankings acknowledged several new indicators while continuing to rank city economics more heavily than political or cultural factors. The 2008 roster, similar to the 1998 version, is sorted into categories of "Alpha" world cities (with four sub-categories), "Beta" world cities (three sub-categories), "Gamma" world cities (three sub-categories), and additional cities with "High sufficiency" or "Sufficiency" world city presence.

• The 2008 roster of leading Alpha, Beta and Gamma world cities is reproduced below; see the source for the complete roster.

Alpha

• Alpha++ world cities:• London, New York

• Alpha+ world cities:• Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Milan, 

Shanghai, Beijing

• Alpha world cities:• Madrid, Moscow, Seoul, Toronto, Brussels, Buenos Aires, 

Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, Chicago

• Alpha− world cities:• Warsaw, São Paulo, Zurich, Amsterdam, Mexico City, 

Jakarta, Dublin, Bangkok, Taipei, Istanbul, Rome, Lisbon, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Athens,Caracas, Los Angeles, Auckland, Santiago

Beta

• Beta+ world cities:• Washington, Melbourne, Johannesburg, Atlanta, Barcelona

, San Francisco, Manila, Bogotá, Tel Aviv, New Delhi, Dubai, Bucharest

• Beta world cities:• Oslo, Berlin, Helsinki, Geneva, Copenhagen, Riyadh, 

Hamburg, Cairo, Luxembourg, Bangalore, Dallas, Kuwait, Boston

• Beta− world cities:• Munich, Jeddah, Miami, Lima, Kiev, Houston, Guangzhou, 

Beirut, Karachi, Düsseldorf, Sofia, Montevideo, Nicosia, Rio de Janeiro, Ho Chi Minh City

Gamma

• Gamma+ world cities:• Montreal, Nairobi, Bratislava, Panama City, Chennai, 

Brisbane, Casablanca, Denver, Quito, Stuttgart, Vancouver, Zagreb, Manama, Guatemala City, Cape Town, San José,Minneapolis, Santo Domingo, Seattle

• Gamma world cities:• Ljubljana, Shenzhen, Perth, Kolkata, Guadalajara, Antwerp

, Philadelphia, Rotterdam, Amman, Portland, Lagos

• Gamma− world cities:• Detroit, Manchester, Wellington, Riga, Guayaquil, 

Edinburgh, Porto, San Salvador, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Port Louis, San Diego, Islamabad, Birmingham, Doha, Calgary, Almaty,Columbus,

Global Cities Index

• In 2008, the American journal Foreign Policy, in conjunction with consulting firm A.T. Kearney and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, published a ranking of global cities, based on consultation with Saskia Sassen, Witold Rybczynski, and others. Foreign Policy noted that "the world’s biggest, most interconnected cities help set global agendas, weather transnational dangers, and serve as the hubs of global integration. They are the engines of growth for their countries and the gateways to the resources of their regions."

• In 2010 the index was updated, and the top thirty ranked were:

Rank City Score

1 New York City 6.22

2 London 5.86

3 Tokyo 5.42

4 Paris 5.35

5 Hong Kong 4.14

6 Chicago 3.94

7 Los Angeles 3.90

8 Singapore 3.45

9 Sydney 3.44

10 Seoul 3.40

11 Brussels 3.29

12 San Francisco 3.26

13 Washington, D.C. 3.25

14 Toronto 3.13

15 Beijing 3.12

16 Berlin 3.03

17 Madrid 3.02

18 Vienna 2.96

19 Boston 2.78

20 Frankfurt am Main 2.78

World City Survey

• In 2010 the London based consultant firm Knight Frank LLP together with the Citibank published a survey of world cities. The Wealth Report 2010, which includes the World City Survey, assesses four parameters — economic activity, political power, knowledge and influence and quality of life. The list aimed to rank the world's most influential cities. New York tops the list in Ecomomic activity, political power and knowledge and Paris tops it in quality of life. London and Paris get the same aggregate ranking of 149, making them de factoworld's 2nd and 3rd most prominent cities.

Rank City Best category Score

1 New York Economic activity 151

2 London Economic activity 149

3 Paris Quality of life 149

4 Tokyo Economic activity 144

5 Los AngelesKnowledge and influence

122

6 Brussels Political power 121

7 Singapore Economic activity 119

8 Berlin Quality of life 113

9 Beijing Political power 113

10 Toronto Quality of life 112

11 ChicagoKnowledge and influence

111

12 Washington, D.C. Political power 111

13 Seoul Economic activity 103

14 Hong KongKnowledge and influence

96

15 Frankfurt Quality of life 96

16 SydneyKnowledge and influence

92

17 San Francisco Quality of life 90

18 Bangkok Political power 83

19 Shanghai Economic activity 83

20 Zurich Quality of life 79

Cities ranked by category

Rank Population of city (proper)

Population of metropolitan area

[38]

Foreign born population

[39]

Expatriate cost of living

 (most expensive first)[10]

Metro systems by annual passenger ridership

Metro systems by total route length

Annual airport traffic by passenger

[40]

Number of billionaires (U.S. dollars)

[41]

Gross Metropolitan Product at total PPPs[42]

1 Mumbai Tokyo Toronto Tokyo Tokyo Shanghai London New York City

Tokyo

2 Shanghai Seoul New York City

Osaka Moscow London New York City

London New York City

3 Karachi Mexico City

Hong Kong

Moscow Seoul New York City

Tokyo Moscow Los Angeles

4 Delhi New York City

Los Angeles

Geneva New York City

Berlin Atlanta Hong Kong

Chicago

5 Istanbul Mumbai Miami Hong Kong

Paris Seoul Chicago Los Angeles

Paris

6 São Paulo Jakarta London Zurich Beijing Tokyo Paris Dallas London

7 Moscow São Paulo Chicago Copenhagen

Mexico City

Moscow Los Angeles

Istanbul Osaka

8 Seoul Delhi Sydney New York City

Hong Kong

Madrid Dallas San Francisco

Mexico City

9 Beijing Osaka San Francisco

Beijing Shanghai Beijing Frankfurt

Chicago,Mumbai,São Paulo,Tokyo

Philadelphia

10 Mexico City

Shanghai Moscow Singapore London Paris Beijing n/a Washington, D.C.

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