World Cities
World Cities
World Cities
AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
WORLD CITIES
• World cities are cities which have many connections to, and considerable influence
over, other parts of the world; they are the most important centres in global economic
and cultural networks.
• One of the most common measures used to rank world cities is to count the number of
head offices of MNCs that the city possesses.
• World cities also contain many top level firms in the fields of insurance, law, property
investment, accountancy etc.
• Location of high quality universities and research institutions – supply the MNCs with
skilled employees and new technologies.
• Contain a large proportion of the most highly qualified people on the planet – highly
paid.
• Best facilities ranging from medicine and hospitals through to luxury shopping,
entertainment and media.
• Major cultural experiences including world class museums, theatres, sports stadiums and
fashion hubs
CHARACTERISTICS
• Although what constitutes a world city is still subject to debate, standard characteristics
of world cities are:
• Centres of new ideas and innovation in business, economics, culture and politics
• High percentage of residents employed in the services sector and information sector
• In 2012 the Globalisation and World Cities Research Network classified world cities according to their
connections with the global economy.
• alpha++ cities In all analyses, London and New York stand out as clearly more integrated than all other cities
and constitute their own high level of integration
• alpha+ cities Other highly integrated cities that complement London and New York , largely filling in advanced
service needs for the global economy, especially in Asia. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore
are all alpha+ cities
• alpha & alpha- cities Very important world cities that link major economic regions and states into the world
economy
• All beta level cities These are important world cities that are instrumental in linking their region or state into
the world economy
• All gamma level cities These can be world cities linking smaller regions or states into the world economy, or
important world cities whose major global capacity is not in advanced producer services
• Cities with sufficiency of services These are cities that are not world cities as defined here but they have
sufficient services so as not to be overtly dependent on world cities. Two specialised categories of city are
common at this level of integration: smaller capital cities, and traditional centres of manufacturing regions
It is not their population size that makes these cities a ‘world city’; it is
the worldwide extent of their power and influence, or because their
networks and interconnections are truly global.
• Complete the World
Cities worksheet,
using your laptop and
TASK page 211 and 212 of
your WA ATAR
Geography Textbook
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Drive to Economic growth and social change rapid but slowing, advanced technologies
Maturity applied, international trade is growing, raw materials obtained from colonial
possessions
E.g. Western Europe in late 19th and early 20th centuries, South Korea or Hong Kong
today
High Mass Rate of economic growth and social change slows, most people are educated,
Consumption wealthy, urban dwellers, country is strongly linked into global trading systems
E.g. Britain, Germany or Australia today
STAGES OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc-IwHZD8Vo
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Question:
Using the fact sheets and your completed table, outline which of the BRIC
nations has the main advantage over the others. Explain why using data to
support your answer.
GLOBAL SHIFT