Making World Cities

Most metropolitan growth is occurring in cities of the global south, where the populations are expected to double over the next three decades. It’s imagined that these “world cities” will be the sparkplug needed to kickstart national economies and catapult them into the global marketplace. Yet, in Bangalore, India, and many other world cities like it, these idealized conceptions can overshadow the challenges residents have, and the real place of these cities in the new global economy.

online resources

Michael Goldman vs. Thomas Friedman

Thomas Friedman: It’s a Flat World, After All.

Watch Michael Goldman’s talk in Bangalore, “Social Justice and Prosperity in a World City? Rethinking the ‘Flat World’ Thesis in Bangalore India”

The Borders of Freedom. Is the “globalized” world flat or just a slippery slope? Michael Goldman, along with a human geographer, a historian, and a political scientist weigh in.

Bangalore’s Transformation in Images

My Own Private Bangalore: a photo essay documenting the transformation of Bangalore over the past decade. The photos on the “wiring of Bangalore” are particularly interesting.

Comments 3

The Complex Nature of Global Cities | The Global Sociology Blog

March 26, 2009

[...] feed for updates on this topic.Powered by Greet BoxThe current issue of Contexts has an interesting article on global cities and the opportunities and challenges they present to urban planners, developing [...]


Graphic Sociology » World City - Transit Ridership

March 31, 2009

[...] M. and Longhofer, W. (2009) making world cities Contexts, pp. 32-36. tags | climate change, environment, mobility permalink Motorcycle [...]


Chapatti, System D and Transcultural Design

October 19, 2012

[...] Michael Goldman and Wesley Longhofer : Making World Cities http://contexts.org/articles/winter-2009/making-world-cities/ Most metropolitan growth is occurring in cities of the global south, where the populations are [...]


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