From world cities to gateway cities & Extending the boundaries of Globalization theory - Coursework Example

From world cities to gateway cities & extending the boundaries of Globalization theory The process of globalization has penetrated in all spheres ofhuman activities. Globalization is around us and we are absorbed by this quickly developing process. A phenomenon of globalization is of a dualistic nature: on the one hand, globalization is a positive process that offers a perfect opportunity for extension and a spread of world’s boundaries. On the other hand, a negative impact of globalization can be seen in less developed countries depreciation.

Globalization is usually referred as a beneficial process for the world’s largest cities, which can become even more powerful and rich at the expense of resources merging with their economies from less developed cities. Still, there is a lack of attention paid to the cities with less number of populations than in the world’s largest cities. The crucial importance of Globalization theory in the modern context can be seen in its ability to transform the world’s society attitude to the gateway cities as potential global cities, but with their own cultural, political and economic potential.

Thus, it is more interesting to discuss the way globalization causes a negative impact on “gateway cities”. This term, created by Grant (1999) and Grant and Nijman (2000) implies that any city may be a medium for economic, cultural and political relations exchange. Urban experience of the process of globalization has numerous peculiarities and it plays the same crucial role as the experience of the world’s cities (Short et al, 2000). The impact of globalization is evident is even in the small cities.

Moreover, a process of globalization emerges in every city and influences on certain aspect of the cities. For example, Prague has been subjected to cultural globalization, Seattle, Sioux Falls were transformed into economic centers. A process of globalization is mediated by means of global cultural models. In such a way, global ideas are positioned with regards to the needs of certain cities. Mass media propagates a mobilized nature of culture and it is mediated within local contexts. Therefore, an extension of Globalization theory boundaries is possible in case cities to be globalized readily accept global tendencies and transform their local contexts with regards to the global tendencies.

Consequently, global flows mediate hybrids as ideal form of globalization. Locality is being gradually turned into globalism. Therefore, it is possible to claim that globalization is a universal phenomenon of the modernity. It establishes indivisible boundaries between the world’s cities and gateway cities in the name of the global community creation. It is also clearly seen that the modern processes of globalization are penetrating into gateway cities at the same pace as into world’s largest cities.

The modern humanity is on the edge of a global society creation, which would have hybrid economic, political and cultural boundaries within the global community. Works cited 1. Short, John Rennie, Breitbach, Buckman Carrie Steven and Jamey Essex. “From world cities to gateway cities. Extending the boundaries of globalization theory”. City 4 (3) (2000).