Throughout time, there's always been a city or in colonial terms, an empire, that has been the center of it all: dominant language, high culture, as well as an infrastructural and economic leader. In the Ancient World it was Rome. A hundred years ago it was Paris. And today it's probably New York, or possibly even London. The interesting thing about this is that it's always changing. So while English stays the dominant global language and chances are an English speaking city will remain atop the list, there's always the internationalization factor. Thus for English speakers to visit, they meet with little or no difficulty in translation. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the cities that could make a run for it in the 21st century.
Although London has the Olympics next year, and may be one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Europe, it hasn't quite taken the late 20th century title of global city from New York. Talk about diversity: here you can find New York hostels right across the street from to New York five star hotels. The artistic community in Brooklyn is like the Montmartre of a hundred years ago. And recently enacted civil liberties, such as gay marriage, make this city a destination for all kinds of people, from all around the world.
Fueling Brazil's rise as a first world nation are Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. But with both the Olympics and the World cup to be held in the Southern Hemisphere's most visited city, Rio has the greatest shot at being a global city in the 21st century.
Everyone loves talking about China these days, and with a GDP growth rate over ten percent during the past five years, it's hard not to. But whereas the memories of Tiananmen Square from 1989 still ring true in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai, particularly the latter, are symbols of a more modern China. Shanghai's population boomed over 37% during the past ten years and the city now has more than 23 million people. Aiming to be a financial center and major shipping port, as well as a touristic hub, Shanghai is one of the largest cities in the world already and at this rate could be considered a global city.
But for the distinction of global city to be handed to only one, there can't be much debate. Who knows, though, in this newly globalized world, the concept of one global city may be as outdated as the 20th century.
Author Resource:-
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