Global Cities. What are they? What is Jacksonville?

[stephendare]

Apparently Jake Godbold was exposed to these ideas early on in his Mayorship.  League of Cities and all really took off with Godbold and former City Councilman Eric Smith.

At one point, the DDA was charged with making sure that the City of Jacksonville was heading in the direction of becoming a world city.  In fact, after a chamber of commerce junket on the very subject (of course they were primarily interested in how to recruit new businesses) Old Jake decided to create and fund the Arts Assembly, which became the present day Cultural Council.

Here is what wikipedia has to say on the subject
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city#GaWC_Inventory_of_World_Cities.2C_1999

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 general consensus upon leading world cities,  the criteria upon which a classification is made can affect which other cities are included.

    * International, first-name familiarity; whereby a city is recognized 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 on and participation in international events and world affairs; for example, New York City is home to the United Nations headquarters complex and consequently contains a vast majority of the permanent missions to the UN.
    * A fairly large population (at least one million, typically several million).
    * A major international airport that serves as an established hub for several international airlines.
    * An advanced transportation system that includes several freeways and/or a large mass transit network offering multiple modes of transportation (rapid transit, light rail, regional rail, ferry, or bus).
    * International financial institutions, law firms, corporate headquarters, international conglomerates, and stock exchanges (for example the World Bank, or the London 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 museums and universities.
    * A lively cultural scene, including film festivals, 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 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, Football World Cup, or Grand Slam tennis events.

GaWC Inventory of World Cities, 1999

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 Loughborough University in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. The roster was outlined in the GaWC Research Bulletin 5 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.

Alpha world cities / full service world cities

    * 12 points: London, New York City, Paris, Tokyo
    * 10 points: Chicago, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Milan, Singapore

Beta world cities / major world cities

    * 9 points: San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto, Zürich
    * 8 points: Brussels, Madrid, Mexico City, São Paulo
    * 7 points: Moscow, Seoul

Gamma world cities / minor world cities

    * 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

Evidence of world city formation

    Strong evidence

    * 3 points: Athens, Auckland, Dublin, Helsinki, Luxembourg, Lyon, Mumbai, New Delhi, Philadelphia, Rio de Janeiro, Tel Aviv, Vienna

    Some evidence

    * 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, Stuttgart, The Hague, Vancouver

    Minimal evidence

    * 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


World Cities

    Subnet articulator cities

   1. Cultural: Berlin, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Munich, Oslo, Rome, Stockholm.
      Political: Bangkok, Beijing, Vienna.
   2. Social: Manila, Nairobi, Ottawa.

    Worldwide leading cities

   1. Primarily economic global contributions: Frankfurt, Miami, Munich, Osaka, Singapore, Sydney, Zurich
   2. Primarily non-economic global contributions: Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Atlanta, Basel, Barcelona, Cairo, Denver, Harare, Lyon, Manila, Mexico City, Mumbai, New Delhi, Shanghai.

Other criteria

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:

    * Large populations, proper and agglomerated
    * Diverse demographic constituencies
    * Based on various indicators:
          o Population, habitat, mobility, and urbanisation
    * Significant financial capacity/output:
          o city/regional GDP
          o Stock market indices /market capitalisation
          o Headquarters for multinational corporations
          o Financial service provision;  e.g., banks, accountancy
          o Employment
    * Based on quality of life or city development
    * Based on costs of living
          o Based on personal wealth; e.g., number of billionaires
    * Significant transport infrastructure:
          o Airports with significant passenger traffic or cargo movements
          o Extensive and popular mass transit systems
          o Prominent rail usage
          o Road vehicle usage
          o Major seaports

   

    * Significant technological capabilities/infrastructure:
          o Prominent skylines/skyscrapers[27]
    * Significant institutions:
          o Educational institutions; e.g., universities,[28] international student attendance[29]
          o Research facilities
          o Health facilities; e.g. hospitals, medical laboratories
    * Sites of pilgrimage for world religions
    * Hosting headquarters for international organizations
    * Cities containing World Heritage Sites of historical and cultural significance[30]
    * High endowments of cultural facilities:
          o Notable museums and galleries
          o Notable opera
          o Notable orchestras
          o Notable film centres and film festivals
          o Notable theatre centres
          o Sites of major international sports events; e.g., Olympic Games sites[31]
    * Tourism throughput:
          o Visitors
          o Economy
          o Events
    * Site or subject in Arts and Media
          o TV, Film, Video Games, Music
          o Literature, Magazines, Articles, Documentary
          o Historic Reference, Showcase

[thelakelander]

Jacksonville is a second tier Southern US city.  I love the First Coast, but its no where close to being global and probably won't in our lifetimes, especially if Chicago didn't crack the list.  However, this does not mean we should not embrace some of these concepts.

Can you post the population of each "World" city's metropolitan area, in relation to Jacksonville's?  I think that statistic would be a good indicator of where we are in relation to the cities listed on the map.

[Jason]

I agree Lake, as we sit right now Jax is a second tier southern US city.  We are primed to easily become a first tier in the next 20-30 years though.  Also, in certain circles, Jacksonville can become more internationaly recognized.  The area is already becomming a major import/export hub and can easily become a well recognized city in the shipping industries.  Add to that a "clean slate" for new urban development in one of the fastest growing states in the country and you have a recipe for a shiny new cosmopolitan core surrounded by gentrifying historic neighborhoods.

[JeffreyS]

I know St. Louis would consider itself more Global than Kansas City.  A very interesting list to see what others think comprises a world city.  The list certainly has areas Jacksonville could implement in our growing process.  International industry such as shipping seems like it could be a component. 

[Jason]

Population may always be a limiting factor when compared to the other mega cities around the world.  We certainly have the potential to catch up to and even surpass many larger cities in the country and throughout the world but I don't think we'll ever be another NYC, Tokyo, etc..

Once the metro gains another couple million we would likely have gained much more worldwide recognition by default assuming the infrastructure follows, (ie seaport/shipping, mass transportation, density, culture). 

I think tourism is one of the largest factors that we sorely lack.  Almost all of the cities on the list above have a very strong tourism element that propels them to the forefront of national popularity.  We live in a great, beautiful, and unique region but need to find a way to better market that giving people a reason to visit other than to see Grandma or Uncle Lou.  An iconic monument along with and enhanced and festive urban cultural experience would be the easiest to implement.  I'm still all for building Florida's only "mountain" topped with a winter ski resort.... 

[reednavy]

Nashville would get Global City status before JAX will. I find it hard to believe that Cleveland and Comlumbus, OH exhibit more potential that Nashville. Look up gamma world cities in wikipedia, I'm surprised.

[Jason]

-  Marketing the city as a tourist destination
-  Creating more of a tourist draw (monument, mountain, etc..)
-  Providing a comprehensive mass transit system
-  Promoting urban infill and workforce residential housing
-  Preserving more of our natural and rural areas
-  Make the nation's largest park system the BEST park system

[JeffreyS]

I would add
-Continued growth as southern leader in the film industry.
-School system as one we can be proud of
-Bring the Blue Angels home

[reednavy]

Blue Angels, that'll never happen. There is not enough room here at NAS JAX, unless we buy the Timuquana Country Club, or expand into the river. Mayport, they have a runway, its long enough, but its predominately used as a ship base. Unfortunately, they closed Cecil Field, which I've been told, they seriously regret. NAS JAX was actually the better candidate to be choped, but that won't ever happen now.

[Jason]

Speaking of military, pushing for the expansion of our military bases would be a good kick in the pants as well.  Mayport could use a nuclear carrier and sub.


Also, Cecil has been mentioned as a potential site for use as a commercial spaceport.  I'd say that would potentially be a tourism draw as well as enhance our chance to become an aerospace hub.

[JeffreyS]

We obviously could expand our tourist industry with connectivity to our beach communities. The Jacksonville beaches expanding nightlife, St. Augustine's history, Fernandina's charm and Amelia's resort atmosphere.  We have wonderful distinct beaches the drive from Amelia to the ferry to the hotels in Jax beach is wonderful. Stop along the way and watch the helicopters and big ships at Mayport.   
Connect downtown Jax with commuter rail to Fernandina and St. Augustine nurture a tour bus industry up A1A and you have a week long city, river, and beach vacation area.

[thelakelander]

We could also focus on establishing a new base of tourism, centered around the heart of Jacksonville its self.  The beaches and our golf courses aren't unique, but our history, architecture, urban landscape, neighborhoods, river, urban parks, music scene and culture is.

[Ocklawaha]

Looking back on this weird article, I could argue many points for and against Jacksonville as a "World City". Worst is nobody outside of Florida (except a few bruised Denver fans) even know where the hell Jacksonville is? Even South Florida and Tallahassee have lost us! The Panhandle has long desired to split from Florida and form the 51st State... Tossing in with them might be our only chance in hell of being found. But then these requirements don't fit the map either... Maybe I'm blind but the huge metros of South America, save for a couple are missing. Most any 3rd World school child in Asia COULD find Bogota, Lima, Santiago, Medellin etc... on a map, but not Jacksonville. Yet looking down our things to cover list, looks like with the current City Hall administration, we just rank above:

HAS VILLAGE WELL AND WATER BUCKET

Ocklawaha

[ProjectMaximus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranally_city_rating_system

[Jason]

That list makes sence to me.  Jacksonville is right smack dabe in the middle of almost all of the cities listed in the class 2-AA section.  Slightly behind a few but ahead of most.