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Week 2 Reflection: Global Cities, World Cities

GEOG3003: The Global Metropolis

Thomas Sigler, Student# 123456789

Global Cities and World Cities are synonymous terms that refer to cities that have exceeded their national functions

and are recognised as important on a global scale. Beaverstock et al provide a roster of global cities, ranging from

the highest “Alpha” cities to lower-order “Beta” and “Gamma” cities. They provide ample examples of other

scholars in the past who have provided frameworks for understanding global city hierarchies, noting that different

people have alternatively considered different cities to be global or non-global.

Though the global city concept has academic validity in studies by Beaverstock et al, Derudder, Taylor, Smith and

Timberlake, and others, the concept is fundamentally less about ranking which cities are global than about

understanding how cities are global. There are thus many global ranking systems, each of which uses a different

data set and methodology. Some use internet connectivity, while others use airline connections, but in all cases

the idea is that the relational, or interconnecting, properties of cities are more important than their static

properties. This represents a clear divergence from how cities were previously understood, and unsurprisingly

most of the global cities ideas have circulated since major global structural changes occurred in the 1980s. These

include the international division of labour, and the concentration of producer services such as banking, advertising

and legal services in major cities. In particular, Scott points to the existence of an “international servile class” in

global cities as low-wage migrant workers whose livelihoods are dependent on the urban elites.

Although global cities are more of a theory than a “thing”, cities like New York, London, and Tokyo have certain

attributes that distinguish them as global cities. First of all, they all have large populations. Second, they are all

home to large numbers of multinational firms, particularly in the sectors mentioned above. Third, they are (perhaps

with the exception of Tokyo) homes to large numbers of international migrants, ranging from well-paid expatriates

to poorly paid service workers. I think that the global cities concept is a useful tool for understanding the attributes

of particular cities are increasingly de-coupled from their national settings. Though Melbourne and Sydney are

widely perceived to be Australia’s global cities, I believe Brisbane can be understand through the same lens. If one

looks through the ‘Brisbane 2020: New World City Action Plan’, the city’s lifestyle amenities, airport connectivity,

and universities as knowledge hubs are contextualized globally.

Commented [TS1]: Clear title, including week number, student name and number.

Commented [TS2]: First paragraph shows that you understand the week’s concept, and can extract the most valuable bits from the readings.

Commented [TS3]: Proves that I have done the readings, by citing the author’s methodology.

Commented [TS4]: These are from the readings. Shows that I read the text carefully and identifies key ideas and thinkers.

Commented [TS5]: Relates to lecture materials.

Commented [TS6]: Again, this is interpreted from the text, without being simply repeated.

Commented [TS7]: Yet again, these are the key points from one of the readings, but synthesised by me rather than merely repeated.

Commented [TS8]: Demonstrates that I have drawn upon outside readings as needed (not required, but helpful)

Commented [TS9]: This is where I answer the question from the ‘Discussion Questions’ document. Note that it takes up about a third of the document, and that I don’t address it with a clear yes/no answer, but rather with clearly articulated answers that synthesise the readings and lecture materials.

Commented [TS10]: The last two sentences are personal opinion and critical reflection. IS Brisbane a global city? Something to consider…

Commented [TS11]: Demonstrates that I have drawn upon outside readings as needed (not required, but helpful)

Commented [TS12]: The body of the text is 398 words, meaning I’ve maxed out my allocation.