As part of The Universe in ‘09, SEED Magazine includes a number of self-explanatory visualizations. One that got my attention is called “Connecting Distant Dots” which represents a number of global processes and the way they reinforce or inhibit each other. Right at the center of the chart: Population Growth.
Interestingly enough, “Rethinking Urban Growth” is one of the few processes that acts as positive influencer in a world that seems doomed to end in food riots, although I find it hard to believe that this represents the full picture. At the very least there is one very important process missing from this picture: immigration.
Although only for the US, here is the Immigration Explorer, an interactive graphic of how different foreign-born groups have settled in the US over the last century.
The Economist is already calling the US election: Obama. I seriously hope The Economist is right. The result of this election is decided by a very small percentage of the people who are affected by its outcome and I’m certain the consensus around the world is that it is time for a change.
Here is my list of what Global Culture needs from the next president of the United States:
- The US has some of the most successful cities in the world. Over the next decade that model needs to be replicated throughout America, creating new magnets for talent and investors.
- The size of economic rescue that will be needed over the next few years can only be accomplished by creating entire new industries; let it be that of the cities of the future: sustainable, energy-efficient, less dependent of non-renewable resources, able to produce only the necessary goods and doing good through a well educated workforce.
- After years of catastrophic diplomatic efforts, realize that your best ambassadors may be those US global citizens that are ready to embrace other cultures. Baby boomers may find their retirement funds will do better in other currencies.
- Leverage diversity as a strength. Study the common grounds with other cultures that will create the opportunities for a more peaceful world. This is easy when your cities are some of the most cosmopolitan in the world.
- In the era of increased mobility it is absurd to go on with measures to restrict the movement of people. Recognize this and capitalize on the increasing flow through programs to integrate migrants to the workforce, and create more tolerant, diverse and culturally rich urban centres.
- Lead the globalization efforts through a renewed sense of corporate responsibility. Every corporation understand the value in reaching out to the world, but they can’t keep doing it at the expense of the world. If the recent crisis has taught us something is that moral leadership is clearly needed.
If you’re a US citizen vote. If you are not, send a friendly reminder to your known friends with the right to participate in this historic election.
A few days ago I was paraphrasing philosopher Alain de Botton in my post about the future of the city. A more accurate transcription of his words follows:
True diversity comes from communication and contact [...] if there is no meeting point [the city] is not diverse [... a city] can look superficially very diverse, but if you actually look at the levels of integration and communication and public space and places where very different communities can come together, then all of the sudden [the city] can start looking at lot less diverse.
He was talking about London. Today I came across an article in Spacing magazine that questions the same issues, this time in Toronto. The article “Come Together” by Dale Duncan reports the activities of residents associations in what is known as “immigration gateway communities”. To understand the context, it is important to know some stats about the Toronto population mix:
- 30% The percentage of all recent immigrants to Canada that live in Toronto.
- 50% The percentage of Torontonians born outside of Canada
- 47% The percentage of Torontonians who have a mother tongue other than English or French
Immigration gateway communities is a creative way to label rough neighbourhoods characterized for lack of infrastructure and a high turn-over among their residents as people get out of them as soon as they can afford to do it. While the city has clearly identified 13 priority neighbourhoods, it is their citizens who are making a difference by creating the spaces where people can come together to talk about their needs, frustrations and sometimes even find solutions and have a stronger representation at City Hall.
When people migrate to the big cities assuming the better life style they will find, the reality of these communities -the only areas where they can afford to live in- quickly sinks in. Having travelled from so far away to find these obstacles only emphasizes the gap that exists between social groups. It aggravates the situation as they can see people around them with access to the life style they dream about, but they can’t get to it. For some this gap is an unmanageable trap as access to resources and opportunities becomes increasingly difficult. In the best case scenario the years that it will take a new immigrant to “graduate” from these neighbourhoods into better places will be remembered as a necessary sacrifice to realize the ultimate dream.
A responsible city has to create opportunities for integration. Not only by developing infrastructure that makes “gateway communities” better connected with the productive engine that requires these immigrants, but by creating public spaces that invite all the various social groups within a city to converge… More than two years ago I wrote the post “observe, analyze, generalize” as a tribute to what I was convinced was the quintessential “meeting point” suggested by Alain de Botton. In Toronto we call it Harbourfront Centre.
To be fair with the City of Toronto, there are major plans to improve infrastructure to better connect some of these areas via a new railway system. If only some of these plans could live up to the standards of other major cities with transportation that is not only functionally efficient but a distinctive trademark that makes it as unique as its diversity.
Such was the theme of a debate held this past September in London. The panel included philosopher and author Alain de Botton, former mayor of Bogotá Enrique Peñalosa, associate director at Arup Alejandro Gutierrez and monocle’s editor in chief Tyler Brûlé.
While you can watch the entire debate, here are some snippets that I found inspiring:
What are the most exciting things happening in cities today? Diversity, finding ways to expose the inner workings of a city and public pedestrian space.
The notion of a great public transit systems transcends simply efficiency and volume of passengers. It becomes an integrator of the various regions of a city, a public space with a function that serves its users not only in moving them from one corner to the next, but as a source of open spaces. Such was the lesson learned in Bogotá after creating many kilometres of pedestrian spaces.
Urbanization, or the process of incorporating more people into cities adds 45 million people per year. In China alone the next 20 years this process will require the equivalent of building 50 Shanghais! There is a sense of lost opportunity when all these new cities are being built in the same way that today’s cities were.
Shopping malls are a sign that a city is sick. The ideal public space is a combination of a cathedral, museum and mall without being any one of them, but it seems we are just bad at coming up with new typologies of public spaces. The role of urban planners is to inspire to do more things than go shopping. Maybe looking at the primordial needs of humans such as walking, enjoying big spaces, etc.
In the future we may be forced to make smart decisions about consumption, travel and way of life in general, as imposed by a personal carbon quota. Hopefully this will lead to a redefinition of what is fun.
And my personal favourite: Diversity requires of a meeting point to be realized.
Listening to Duke Ellington quote Marshall McLuhan, making the incredibly deep thinking of the cultural philosopher accessible to his audience is priceless. In “the whole world is going oriental” the Duke found inspiration to create some of the most advanced jazz fusion of the 60’s by unifying themes from around the world without concern for the remix of cultural patterns.
When McLuhan made the original statement he was talking about the process of westernization of the East and orientalizing of the West:
The entire Western world, McLuhan argues, is now turning inward upon itself—in the old Oriental pattern—while the Orient “has been increasingly engaged in an outer trip, aided by Western technology.
That was back in the 60’s. More recently we could argue a very similar process has been evolving when around 200 million migrants find a new home every year. In immigrant population and the south in the heart of the north I’ve documented some of the facts and figures of this process, but what interests me today are the methods that migrants use to cope with the sudden disorientation that results from trying to build a new way of live in an unknown city.
Meet David Sasaki, a true global citizen migrating from the North to the South and finding refuge in technology:
Two months ago I was back in my old stomping grounds, Encinitas, California. [...] More than anywhere else, this was home. I still knew the names of the best surfers bobbing up and down in the Pacific as they waited for the right set of waves. Years later, and I still knew all the best running trails, the most articulate columnists, the best plates at the best restaurants, and the history of nearly every beach and every block up and down the ten or so miles of coast that make up Encinitas. Subconsciously, throughout the years of my youth, I had built up my own personal Wikipedia of the history, institutions, culture, and sub-cultures that make Encinitas such a special place for so many people. I have also witnessed the changes endured by the community as home prices have tripled from around $300,000 for a coastal bungalow in the mid-1990’s to over a million dollars today. I know that I will never be able to afford a house where I grew up. Which has brought me here, to Buenos Aires, one of the few cosmopolitan cities where it is still possible to buy a house or apartment without committing oneself to eternal debt. Unlike my comprehensive knowledge of Encinitas, however, I know next to nothing about Buenos Aires. I am an immigrant here. And each new block, every cafe, every neighbor greeting me with a silent nod of the head is a story to be discovered.
His unusual journey from North to South is supported by an array of technical knowledge that will likely translate into a better integration to his new city. Not only he carries the experience from proven methods and technologies, but he is going to be in a privileged position to influence others around him that will take for granted his expertise in the area. The exchange that will result from his interaction with his new community somehow reminds me of the action of the “Orient” looking outward aided by Western technology, with the only difference that this time it will be a very curious and receptive “South”.
If only all migrants had this kind of advantage in their journeys.
Clustering of like-minded individuals is not a new idea, but new research based on the mapping of personality types reveals one very interesting trend about the group called “Open To Experience People”: they are far more distributed than any of the other groups.
In his post The Personality Map, Richard Florida presents these results in a timely manner to promote his most recent book “Who’s Your City?”. A much better explanation is given in his column on the Global and Mail:
We know that values, beliefs, and attitudes cluster geographically and are sustained over time through social interaction – that’s what defines culture. According to Sam Gosling, a psychologist at the University of Texas, and Jason Rentfrow, a psychologist at Cambridge University, these places (and their inhabitants) will also assume certain personality traits.
They refer to these as “social founder effects.” That is, people come to acquire personality traits that reflect their practices, lifestyles, and beliefs. Places that tolerate or encourage openness to experience will ultimately attract people who seek environments in which they can feel free to express themselves.
People seeking a place where they can express themselves is almost a perfect definition for the global citizen that will move anywhere around the world to find the region that better defines the core values that he/she hold true and treasure the most. This realization provides a very important argument in favor of why cities that have been welcoming to generations of migrants are now among the most important hubs for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. As I have stated in previous posts, one of the most essential tools of the person starting a journey to a new place is a complete willingness to experience and accept a new culture without hesitation. This very same personality treat is probably, according to this research, why these same cities have evolved economies that are a model for a truly global city. Cosmopolitanism and its quest for understanding other cultures may be the key that triggers the desire to relocate to a newly discovered region of the world, but it is that same global knowledge that gives the region an important advantage as more connections with the rest of the world are created with every new individual that arrives. So, while it may be psychological characteristics what drives the clustering shown above, I believe it is the global connections that these people have what fosters a prosperous economy.
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.
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