Even in a global age, we view our American cities in a national setting. We relate New York to how it is the largest and most powerful city in the nation. We see LA and Chicago as other global players. We are aware that Boston and San Francisco have more "power" than their size would seem to warrant. We recognize that Atlanta has created a power that needs to be reckoned with, that energy and population make Hoston a player, that DC's incredible governmental complex makes it a major city on the world scene.
But so much of the sorting and ordering takes place in the good, old USA.
Meanwhile, as we all know, the world gets more global. There will come a time when there will be little sorting in our minds about cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles in an American sense. Instead, these cities will be looked at in a more global sense.
What effect, in any, will it have on US cities when they aren't compared with each other, but are seen as another point in the global network? In other words, what are the implications for a city like Chicago that it is matching up not just with New York or LA, but with, say, Frankfort or Singapore? How do US cities change when their national aspects, tied to American culture, business, and tradition, are not as relevant as they are today?> |
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