Every single US city has grew and prospered and achieved its character under US rule.....whether from 1776 on the east coast to the 1840's on the west. So for whatever international flavor the likes of Boston (English), New Orleans (French/Spanish), San Francisco (Spanish) have had, it is just a drop in the bucket of what they achieved as American cities. And while US cities from Boston to San Diego, from Seattle to Miami, differ in many ways, they all have that definite "US STAMP" on them: they are all part of the story of this nation that moved westward from Atlantic to Pacific, their developments during these eras paralleled each other in innumerable ways, and it makes it possible here on this subforum to examine them (as different as they) as a unit. US culture has been strong and pervassive and has inhabited evey corner of this nation in ways unusual to most nations on earth. Yet the truly "US era" of our history is coming to a close. We, as in other nations in the world, are more and more influenced by what happens globally than nationally. The trend will obvious continue and get stronger each year. As it will in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and cities throughout the globe. Even today we can see the effects of a Latin American influence on Miami, how LA's relationship with Mexico, Central America, and the Pacific Rim have given it a unique character. San Diego on the Mexican border is vastly different than Buffalo near the Canadian border. Honolulu sits as the crossroads of the Pacific for all nations. Seattle shares more with Vancouver than it does with most US cities. Chicago looks more to global futures markets than those in the US to sustain its position in this field. I'd be curious to examine here the following: HOW DO YOU THINK THE NATURE OF THE AMERICAN CITY WILL CHANGE AS IT BECOMES MORE GLOBAL AND LESS AMERICAN? Which ways, if any, do you think our cities will restructure, handle business and culture, and all other aspects of life when the boundraries between nations mean less and less and our cities stop swimming in that smaller (and incredibly interconnected) pool?> |
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