In this module, you read three articles, each of which examined how a particular

In this module, you read three articles, each of which examined how a particular city was changing as it developed new links to the global economy. The focus of the lecture was on Saskia Sassen’s analysis of New York, which represents a “classic” case of the global city. However, the other two articles – Jan Nijman’s analysis of Miami, and Charlotte Lemanski’s study of Cape Town, South Africa – examine cases of “aspiring” global cities, where urban and social changes associated with globalization have followed different paths.
In this discussion board, I want you to compare what you read about either Miami or Cape Town (choose one) to the case of New York. Reflect on how the case you’ve chosen fits, or differs from, Sassen’s analysis of the global city. Specifically, in your initial post you need to clearly state at least one way in which Miami or Cape Town’s development in the era of globalization is similar to New York’s, and one way in which that development differs. For both the similarity and the difference you observe, provide specific evidence from the article you read about that city. This can take the form of either a direct quote, or a relevant fact or argument provided by the author. Make sure to cite the page number in the article from which the evidence is drawn.
You can focus on any aspect of urban change related to globalization that you’d like, but the following are a few questions, drawn from Sassen’s theory, that may help to guide your analysis [Note: you do not have to answer all of these. They are just to get you thinking about ways to compare]:
Do you see any evidence in Miami or Cape Town of the growing wealth and power of multi-national companies and highly educated elites who are well connected to the global economy?
– Are Miami and Cape Town also divided into the three kinds of districts – the corporate, industrial, and immigrant city – observed by Sassen in New York? Why might these parts of the city be different in the cases you read about?
– Which parts of Miami or Cape Town are receiving new resources and redevelopment as part of efforts to become a “global city”? Which are neglected or excluded?
– What are the effects of globalization on inequality in these cities? Do you see any evidence of the growing social and/or spatial polarization that Sassen argues is a crucial aspect of global cities? Which social groups in these cities gain, and which lose out, as city leaders push for new kinds of global connections?
In your follow-up post, engage in a substantive discussion with one of your classmates’ initial posts. Did they notice any parallels or differences that you had missed? Do you see any additional points of comparison that could strengthen their analysis?
going to need access to
Read Saskia Sassen’s essay, “Rebuilding the Global City.”
Read Jan Nijman’s essay about globalization’s effect on Miami,