Immigrants and world cities: from the hyper-diverse to the bypassed

A relationship between globalization, cities and immigration is increasingly apparent. Whether one is trying to understand Dubai, Toronto, or London, immigrants are culturally, economically, and spatially changing cities in significant ways. This study compares the roster of world cities with that of major urban immigrant destinations. The number of major urban immigrant destinations is growing due to the acceleration of immigration driven by income differentials, social networks and various state and local policies to recruit skilled and unskilled labor and replenish population. This study will present urban-level data on the foreign-born for 145 metropolitan areas of over 1 million people. It will focus on the world’s 19 metropolitan areas with over 1 million foreign-born residents. Analysis of the data suggests that there is a range of destination types. Although not all world cities are immigrant gateways, many are.     

Introduction: immigrants and transnational experiences in world cities

Today, in the early 21st century, goods, information, services, financial capital and human beings are flowing across national borders at an ever-accelerating rate. In this context, transnationalism has become a key paradigm in the study of international migration and urbanism. This theme issue on “Immigrants and transnational experiences in world cities” explores these new trends in contemporary international migration, with respect to transnational communities and geographies, in articles grouped according to four themes: international migration and world cities; highly-skilled and low-skilled immigrants; economic impacts; and immigrant experiences in world cities.     

Third world settlement frontiers: modest population absorbers

Conclusions This study concludes that a relatively small part of the Third World's increasing populations may be absorbed in their frontiers. Throuh the 49 locations are scattered throughout that world three characteristics are emphasized: 1) these are the principal regions where studies of population absorption potential should be initiated before any new settling is undertaken, 2) the frontiers are not as convenient to areas of world population pressure as is desirable, and 3) what are mapped as areas may turn out to be a series of spots requiring considerable detailed planning at local levels.Overall there is reason for some encouragement. Frontiering could be executed now with degrees of success if proper respect is paid the complexity of the task and to previous experience. It is suggested that a contemporary planner of new settling is wiser to elect areas where the process may build on an existing minimal geographic base of settlers and transportation so as to start relatively quickly and be at least partly commercial. Frontiers these days are unlikely to take as long to develop as they did 25 or 50 years ago. Nor should they. Moreover, the drive to raise world standards of living is calling for a new order of economies and one corollary is apparent: frontiers for subsistence living have minimal value now and in the future and should be short-lived, if existent at all. But, most important, the frontiers provide the possibility of meeting a part of a burgeoning problem in a way that is familiar to the people and that could be efficient.     

Relationality/territoriality: Toward a conceptualization of cities in the world

The paper contributes to the conceptualization of cities in the world by first outlining the conceptual and empirical challenges of theorizing the urban/global nexus in both relational and territorial terms. It argues that the most useful and appropriate approach to understanding contemporary urban governance in global context is to develop a conceptualization that is equally sensitive to the role of relational and territorial geographies, of fixity and flow, of global contexts and place-specificities (and vice versa), of structural imperatives and embodied practices, in the production of cities. In order to illustrate the benefits of this conceptualization, the paper will apply it to the case of how downtown development is governed in many contemporary cities. The role of the Business Improvement District (BID) program and New Urbanist planning models in shaping downtowns will be examined in terms of: (1) how and by whom these models are developed in a global-relational context and are set in motion through scaled circuits of policy knowledge and (2) how the mobilization of these models are conditioned by their territorialization in specific spatial and political economic contexts. The paper emphasizes that the ‘local globalness’ of policy models like BIDs and New Urbanism and their consequences for cities can best be understood through a combined focus on relationality and territoriality.     

Migrants, markets and multinationals: competition among world cities for the highly skilled

Urban areas compete with one another for people, goods, capital, ideas and other inputs of economic activity. Under the rubric of globalization, instead of only maintaining or improving the initial stock of assets in a city, the power of a place to attract outside flows of economic activity from elsewhere is increasingly important to economic development. Similarly, global or world cities are characterized as the command and control points through which these global economic flows operate. In response to the heightened mobility of highly-skilled labor across national borders, research has begun to examine the role of international human capital as an economic flow. This paper will examine the role of places in determining where the highly-skilled go in the global economy by viewing global city command and control functions as requiring unique labor flows. By reviewing the evidence found in the literature, we can better understand the potential for urban areas to compete for highly-skilled labor in the global economy. Known indicators of place attractiveness are assessed to examine the relationship between the economic trajectories of cities and their labor requirements. Cities are situated between firms and states as the key place-based actors which influence the mobility of highly-skilled labor. Finally, the paper also examines measurement issues and methodological problems in creating indices of world cities as well as explores possibilities for new research.     

The potential and prospect for global cities in China: in the context of the world system

Over the last two decades, accompanying their rapid economic development, many `mega-cities' in China have devoted themselves to changing their relationships to the global economy and some have aimed at attaining global (world) city status as a key future development goal. This paper examines the relationship between global (world) city status and the emerging world economic system, and discusses the intense competition between `mega-cities' in the Asia-Pacific region that Chinese cities will face in the 21st century, especially after the Asia financial crisis. It also explores the potential and possibility of achieving global or world city status in China. The main arguments are that only Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing have the possibility to attain leading positions in the global urban system in the future. Post-1997, it has been very important for the Chinese government to find a way to coordinate the functions of Hong Kong and the other major cities which allows them to operate smoothly together under quite different political systems. Finally, the authors analyse the relationships between these three metropolises and suggests some possibilities for coordinating their roles in the global urban system.     

沿海城市竞争力评价及资源环境约束分析

在借鉴国内外研究的基础上,建立了城市竞争力评价指标体系。通过熵值法和均方差决策法确定各指标权重,对我国14个沿海开放城市竞争力进行了评价。分析发现,各城市综合竞争力具有内部差异大、极化现象突出等特点。从城市竞争力要素层得分及其状况来看,各城市之间差异显著,而生态环境竞争力普遍偏低。从空间角度看,各城市竞争力水平大致形成了以中部上海为核心,南部广州、北部天津为两翼,连接各城市构成了一条倒"V"字型向东突出的城市竞争力发展格局。根据评价结果由高到低可将14个城市分为强竞争力、较强竞争力、一般竞争力、弱竞争力四大类。     

The changing economic environment for spatial policies in the third world

The prospects for economic growth among the developing countries of the world over the next two decades are not as promising as the experience of the last two decades. Aspects of the current world economic environment have implications for the pattern of urban growth in developing nations, and hence for the role of spatial policies. This paper outlines the U.N. projections for the growth of urban populations in the world. It then reviews the current external economic situation of the developing countries, faced by world economic recession and high levels of international indebtedness, before considering some of the implications of this situation for urban growth.     

北京建设世界城市中主要地质环境问题的思考

北京作为全国政治、文化中心,已明确提出打造中国特色世界城市的目标。北京建设世界城市,面临人口快速增长、土地资源供给紧张、水资源匮乏、能源短缺、环境污染、生态退化等问题,京津冀城市群的构想使北京建设世界城市成为可能。本文从北京建设世界城市的视角,在借鉴各有关成果的基础上,指出京津冀城市群目前存在的主要环境地质问题并针对各类地质灾害提出防灾减灾的措施。     

Performance of irrigation projects and their impacts on poverty reduction and its empowerment in arid environment

Biophysical and socioeconomic conditions of pre and post dam construction were assessed in one of the arid regions of Iran commanded by Minab dam. The methodology used in this study was drawn from the international organizations especially the World Commission on Dams and the United Nations for selection of the indicators for sustainable development relating to water resources projects. Commissioning of the dam in 1986 led to progressive expansion of the irrigated agriculture, which was almost doubled in year 2006. Results of the study revealed that there is significant positive impact of the irrigation infrastructures of the dam; for example literacy rate has increased from 41 % (pre project) to 74 % in 2006. Similarly, significant improvements were observed in health care, sanitation, education and other scopes. Nevertheless, for some of the targets only 50–60 % progress were made, whereas no significant achievements had been made in the others. Therefore, development did not match with the planned goals of the project. Deficiency in achieving the primary objectives, especially after many years of project completion, may be attributed to the management and implementation of the project. For effective project performance, a new institutional framework and guide lines are proposed in this article.     

Building stones and geological environment in three ancient cities of Aegean Thrace,Greece

The type, use, and size of the structural stones employed in three ancient cities of the Aegean Thrace are considered Abdera, Maroneia, and Mesimbria. The impact of the geological environment on the choice of these materials also is examined. From the results obtained it is implied that despite the great variety of rocks exposed in the area, the rocks used in construction in these cities are mostly types of sandstone and limestone, rocks with moderate technical properties and easily obtained from the area. The quarries were within a radius of less than 10 km and the size distribution of the building stones in all towns is discussed.     

江西省主要城市建设用地地质环境初步评价

该文简单介绍了江西省主要城市的自然地理、区域环境地质背景及社会经济概况;阐述了对城市建设用地地质环境质量评价目的,进而采用敏感因子-模糊综合评价方法,对全省11个主要城市的建设用地地质环境质量进行了评价.江西省各主要城市的城市建设用地地质环境质量总体较好,其中地质环境质量80%以上为好和较好的有抚州市和九江市,地质环境质量50%~72%为好和较好的有吉安市、新余市、南昌市和上饶市,地质环境质量30%~40%为好和较好的有鹰潭市和宜春市,地质环境质量为好和较好的在30%以下的有萍乡市、赣州市和景德镇市.     

Evaluation of water-supply and sanitation options in third world cities: An example from Cali,Colombia

Water supply and sanitation are examined with the objective of describing the evaluation of alternative technologies for providing these services within urban areas of developing countries. First, an overview is given of the Pace of urbanization and the magnitude of the water and sanitation problem. A brief review of various water-supply and sanitation technologies follows, with a discussion of some basic principles involved in their comparison. An empirical study of the situation in Cali, Colombia is then provided as an example, with particular attention given to economic costing and some of its difficulties. The concluding part discusses the role of such analyses in urban planning and policy making, providing specific examples in the areas of low-cost housing, appropriate technology, water conservation, and urban expansion.

     

山东半岛城市群地区地质生态环境与经济发展协调性评价研究

通过对山东半岛城市群地区地质生态环境与经济发展要素分析,构建了两者协调性评价的指标体系;在此基础上,根据协调性测度算法原理,对十五期间山东半岛城市群地区地质生态环境与经济发展协调度及其协调发展状态进行了分析评价.结论是为了实现山东半岛城市群地区地质生态环境与经济之间的协调、持续发展,应合理调整两者之间的互动关系.     

A tale of Asia’s world ports: The spatial evolution in global hub port cities

Globalization and transport revolutions, logistics integration, and the consequent expansion of port area and hinterland in the maritime industry have redefined the functional role of ports in supply chains and have generated a new pattern of freight distribution. This phenomenon again requires a new approach towards port development and related urban planning. Such changes have inevitably influenced the spatial structure of hub port cities. As existing models on spatial and functional evolution of ports and cities are mainly derived from European and American cases, this paper attempts to introduce evidence from an Asian perspective, focusing on the particular case of global hub port cities such as Hong Kong and Singapore.     

Water and poverty in the United States

Contrary to reports of 100% access to safe water and sanitation in international surveys, the United States (US) has a complex landscape of low-income water problems. This paper begins with a critical international perspective on water and poverty in the US. It shows that the US had a declining role in international water programs during the late-20th century, which contributed to limited international awareness of low-income water programs in the US, and limited US awareness of low-income water issues. To address the first problem, we provide an overview of low-income water programs in the US with an emphasis on those that serve small communities. We then examine census data on inadequate water systems in Colorado, which indicate that severe plumbing deficiencies persist despite these public water programs. Inadequate plumbing rates are lower than income poverty rates, however, which indicate partially successful strategies for achieving low-income water services. Analysis of local data in urban, rural, and mountainous areas of the state shows that poverty and water problems are correlated in complex ways, which has implications for all nations striving for universal access to safe water and sanitation.     

Gender equality and poverty in Ghana: implications for poverty reduction strategies

Poverty trends in Ghana show a decline over the last two decades. However, the period also shows evidence of the intensification of vulnerability and exclusion among some groups, including women. Among several variables accounting for women’s vulnerability to poverty are gender inequalities, which it is argued, undermines development and the prospects for improving standards of living. Therefore it has been suggested that policies, which aim at reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development must integrate gender equality, equity and women’s empowerment in its goals. Despite these, the interconnections between a reduction in gender inequality and a reduction in poverty are complex. The paper explores the gender dimensions of poverty in Ghana, and how gender inequalities are manifested and implicated in the reproduction of poverty. It also assesses the extent to which these have been taken into account in poverty reduction strategies and policies to enhance the situation of women. It concludes that if strategies to engender poverty reduction programmes are to be sustainable it is important to recognize unequal gender relations and the structures of power that women confront at all levels in Ghana and how these increase women’s vulnerability to poverty.