A or '''world city''' is a concept promoted by the geography department at . ISBN 0-691-07063-6
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- International, first-name familiarity; whereby a city is recognised without the need for a political subdivision. For example, although there are numerous cities and other political entities with the name Paris or variations on it, one would say " Paris ", not "Paris, France ".
- Active influence and participation in international events and world affairs; for example, '', 29 April 2003
- A fairly large population (the centre of a Metropolitan Area with a population of at least one million, typically several million).
- A major international Airport that serves as an established Hub for several international Airline s.
- An advanced transportation system that includes several Freeway s and/or a large Mass Transit network offering multiple modes of transportation ( Rapid Transit , Light Rail , Regional Rail , Ferry , or Bus ).
- In The West , several international cultures and communities (such as a Chinatown , a Little Italy , or other Immigrant communities). In other parts of the world, cities which attract large foreign businesses and related expatriate communities; for example, Singapore , Shanghai , Hong Kong , Tokyo , and Moscow .
- International Financial Institution s, Law Firm s, Corporate Headquarters , international Conglomerates , and Stock Exchange s (for example the World Bank , or the Tokyo Stock Exchange ) that have influence over the world Economy .
- An advanced communications infrastructure on which modern Trans-national Corporations rely, such as Fiberoptics , Wi-Fi networks, Cellular Phone services, and other high-speed lines of communications.
- World-renowned cultural institutions, such as Museum s and Universities .
- A lively cultural scene, including Film Festival s, premieres, a thriving Music or Theatre scene (for example, West End theatre and Broadway ); an orchestra, an Opera Company , Art Galleries , and street performers.
- Several powerful and influential media outlets with an international reach, such as the BBC , Reuters , '' The New York Times '', or '' Agence France-Presse ''.
- A strong Sport ing 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 , Football World Cup , or Grand Slam Tennis events.
To some, London , New York City , Paris , and Tokyo have been traditionally considered the 'big four' world cities – not coincidentally, they also serve as symbols of global Capitalism . However, many people have their own personal lists, and any two lists are likely to differ based on cultural background, values, and experience.
An attempt to define and categorise world cities was made in 1999 by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC), based primarily at , 28 July 1999 and ranked cities based on provision of "advanced producer services" such as accountancy, advertising, finance and law, by international corporations. The GaWC inventory identifies three levels of world cities and several sub-ranks.
Note that this roster generally denotes cities in which there are offices of certain multinational companies providing financial and consulting services rather than other cultural, political, and economic centres. There is a schematic map of GaWC cities at their website. The World According to GaWC , GaWC, Loughborough University
Inventory of World Cities , GaWC, Loughborough University
- 6 points: Amsterdam , Boston , Caracas , Dallas , Düsseldorf , Geneva , Houston , Jakarta , Johannesburg , Melbourne , Osaka , Prague , Santiago , Taipei , Washington, D.C.
- 5 points: Bangkok , Beijing , Montreal , Rome , Stockholm , Warsaw
- 4 points: Atlanta , Barcelona , Berlin , Budapest , Buenos Aires , Copenhagen , Hamburg , Istanbul , Kuala Lumpur , Manila , Miami , Minneapolis , Munich , Shanghai
- 3 points: Athens , Auckland , Dublin , Helsinki , Luxembourg , Lyon , Mumbai , New Delhi , Philadelphia , Rio De Janeiro , Tel Aviv , Vienna
- 2 points: Abu Dhabi , Almaty , Birmingham (UK), Bogotá , Bratislava , Brisbane , Bucharest , Cairo , Cleveland , Cologne , Detroit , Dubai , Ho Chi Minh City , Kiev , Lima , Lisbon , Manchester , Montevideo , Oslo , Riyadh , Rotterdam , Seattle , Strasbourg , Stuttgart , The Hague , Vancouver
- 1 point: Adelaide , Antwerp , Aarhus , Baltimore , Bangalore , Bologna , Brasília , Calgary , Cape Town , Colombo , Columbus , Dresden , Edinburgh , Genoa , Glasgow , Gothenburg , Guangzhou , Hanoi , Kansas City , Leeds , Lille , Marseille , Richmond , St. Petersburg , Tashkent , Tehran , Tijuana , Turin , Utrecht , Wellington
An attempt to redefine and recategorise leading world cities was made by PJ Taylor at GaWC in 2004.
Leading World Cities , GaWC, Loughborough University
Well rounded global cities
- Very large contribution: London and New York City .
Smaller contribution and with cultural bias: Los Angeles , Paris and San Francisco .
- Incipient global cities: Amsterdam , Boston , Chicago , Madrid , Milan , Moscow , Toronto .
Global niche cities - specialised global contributions
- Economic: Hong Kong , Singapore , and Tokyo .
- Political and social: Brussels , Geneva and Washington, D.C.
Subnet articulator cities
- Cultural: Berlin , Copenhagen , Melbourne , Munich , Oslo , Rome , Stockholm .
Political: Bangkok , Beijing , Vienna .
- Social: Manila , Nairobi , Ottawa .
- Primarily economic global contributions: Frankfurt , Miami , Munich , Osaka , Singapore , Sydney , Zurich
- Primarily non-economic global contributions: Abidjan , Addis Ababa , Atlanta , Basel , Barcelona , Cairo , Denver , Harare , Lyon , Manila , Mexico City , Mumbai , New Delhi , Shanghai .
The GaWC list is based on specific criteria and, thus, may not include other cities of global significance or elsewhere on the spectrum. For example, cities with the following:
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