Global Culture

Continuing with the annotation of the special report on cities by The Economist. If you haven’t, please read part 1 first.

• Failures at the top: concludes that the single most important factor contributing to the success of a modern city is its government. All great cities, or cities that have gone through important renewal were characterized by influential thinkers taking the lead with passion.
  

  In the 1980s Chicago lost companies, jobs and people, and seemed destined to languish in gradual decline in much the same way as Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh. But energetic government led by a mayor, Richard Daley, whose ambitions start and end with his home town, has truned the city round.

  My post on big city refers to the efforts of Mayors in some of the largest cities around the world, but I believe in the ability of the common citizen to commit her energy to improving our city life. If you don’t believe it, just check the manifesto for global cities in which I account of a small group of bloggers in Pittsburgh contributing great ideas to turn their city round.

• In place of God: explores the soul of a city, an elusive concept that some refer as its culture. An important renaissance is taking place across some of the largest cities driven by the rebirth of their cultural institutions and a new emphasis on developing city cores as opposed to endless sprawl. One thing is certain: many cities around the world are converging into a life style that seems perfect for a few players. The idle class talks about the all-too-comfortable life style that so many aspire to reach and that contributes very little to develop society beyond its ability to consume. Definitely one of the important ideas of this blog.
  Also, checkout the 2007 citygeist for a fun look at what some of the most cosmopolitan cities are doing to renew their soul.
• The reinvention test: the top ten cities in 2006 were Zurich & Geneva (Switzerland), Vancouver (Canada), Vienna (Austria), Auckland (New Zealand), Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich (Germany), Bern (Switzerland) and Sydney (Australia). But I have explored other methods to determine the degree to which a nation succeeds through its influence in world affairs, leading to a different ranking: check it out in airports & tourists.
• Et in suburbia ego?: presents the debate between suburbia and downtown with equal amount of critics claiming each one will prevail. If anything the debate on Global Warming has tipped the scales in favour of city cores, but perhaps the more important argument yet to be recognized in the evolution of global cities is the fact that their growth will be powered by a legion of immigrants with limited resources (see the south in the hearth of the north) and while they would gladly buy a small apartment downtown or settle in a nice community in the suburbs the fact is that most of them get trapped in the slums of hope. These often neglected areas contribute to the growth of cities in a very important way and yet are out of control. There is no stopping the ongoing migration that makes them grow, but only smart cities will find a way to integrate these people in the economic life and build flourishing corridors abundant with life and hope.