The Global City Blessing or a Curse Jeroen

The Global City: Blessing or a Curse? Jeroen van der Waal Erasmus University Rotterdam 1

2

Global city 2. 0? Verschil oude formuleringen global of world cities (Geddes, Braudel, Hall) n n Dient markt i. p. v. staat n NIDL (New international division of labour) vs. koloniaal/world system à la Wallerstein Economisch determinisme / productivisme • n 3 ‘The economic variable (…) is likely to be decisive for all attempts at explanation. ’ (Friedmann, 1986: 69)

4

6

7

8

Global city theory n On the one hand: n ‘Much of the organizational and command side of the global economy is located in a network of about forty global cities’ (2006 a: 315) 9

Global city theory n n On the one hand: n ‘Much of the organizational and command side of the global economy is located in a network of about forty global cities’ (2006 a: 315) On the other: n “…an analytical construct that allows one to detect the global as it is filtered through the specifics of a place…. ” (Sassen, 2006 b: x, Italics: Jvd. W) n because “. . . [p]arallel developments exist in cities that function as regional nodes – that is, at smaller geographical scales and lower levels of complexity than global cities. ” (Sassen, 2006: 193) 10

Global city theory as blessing § Awareness new urban labour market dynamics § § Crucial role advanced producer services Polarization instead of professionalization § Interdependency between ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ 11

Global city theory as curse § Framework instead of theory / a ‘theory of everything’ § § Productivist theory of everything Overestimation impact of globalization Premature burial of previous/other concepts Eager policy makers and vulgar interpretations 12

Post-crisis urban growth model? § Future of advanced producer services? § Possible alternatives § § Cultural industries? Jobless growth 2. 0? 13