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World Class City Alert: You call this a world-class city? Hah!
By adamg on Tue, 04/17/2012 - 8:15pm
Karen Cord Taylor writes it's past time to stop fretting whether we're world class because we're not:
So how can we face the truth that Boston may never be world class? My suggestion is that we celebrate it. We’re not like one of those places with gazillions of people and an exhausting global pace. Boston is a regional city up in a corner of a big country. But it has more than its share of charm. We might even consider Boston a boutique city.
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Comments
Who needs a world class city
Who needs a world class city when we have the Red Sox?
who are losing...
16-3 as I read this. Does that make Arlington, TX world class?
I status updated
a comment the Monday that "if this is global climate change, I can get used to it. Texas can suck it!".
Little did I know they were listening :/
I said nothing about having
a world class baseball team.
Lame
Lame
Gee, Karen
I'll miss you when you're gone...
RIght on target
Karen is correct. To say we're not a world class city isn't saying we can't have major contributions to the world, just that we don't have the scope to realistically be compared to global centers like NYC, London, Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong, or Tokyo. We're much better off comparing ourselves to cities like Melbourne or Hamburg. Great cities which focus on several key industries/cultures/research which materially impact the world. More importantly, if we focus on these similar cities it would be a far better use of our policy resources to see what works (see Oslo's ferry system or Melbourne's liquor license policies) and what doesn't.
That's a silly way to define world class
It's kind of ridiculous to say that because we're not in the top ten we're not "World Class." The world is a rather big place, it can fit a whole bunch of world class cities without diluting the brand. Sixteenth place or twenty-second place or whatever is still a rather significant accomplishment in a world of seven billion people.
Boston is a widely known of metropolitan area which plays a major role in global society. Boston isn't going to be in the same tier as Tokyo or New York any time soon, but there's plenty of room at the top.
Zombie meme from beyond the dead
Maybe the Boston Glub can write a special meta-analysis of the question of why media outlets like to talk about whether Boston is a "World Class City." I'd lurve to start my barbecue with that.
It's our own special local zombie meme. Dying will not make it go away. It's meaninglessness will not stop a special report on why people navel-gaze. Declaring that our aspiration is to be a "boutique city" or become instead of Boston the "Boston Experience" (Isn't that a D-league b-ball team?) will just inspire further rounds of meta.
It's clearly nonsensical to compare wee little Boston (city proper pop. 600K+, area pop 4.5M+) with areas like Tokyo, Mumbai, New York, Sao Paulo, with upwards of four times our population. It makes even less sense than comparing Boston with Calgary or Greater Glasgow. The idea that a city around 69th in area population should even be considered in the same paragraph with global megalopolises is flattering (or is that vain?)
If one must compare Boston with other cities, we should at least start with cities similar in population, urban areas between 4-5M in population. Are Milan, Barcelona, Saint Petersburg, and Guadalajara "World Class Cities?" Or "Boutique Cities?" Do people there agonize over the question?
I'd rather an up-tick in provincialism frankly....
Boston doing it's own thing is what makes it 'unique.' The Disneyfication of the city over the past 15-20 years is somewhat off-putting to me. It's wonderful that it is a MUCH safer city than it used to be, but that's the only positive that I can see. I'd rather these folks who even think about being "world-class" or "boutique" be sent packing. Maybe I'd be able to afford to live in the city I was born in if they screwed.
World class vs global
Well according to this we are a top 15 global city...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city
World Class?
My simple definition. A city is "world class" if tourists from around the world visit. I'd wager there are many tourists from cities that one would call "World Class" visiting Boston. Hell, go have a bite to eat or a drink in any decent place downtown or in Copley Sq, and you'll hear many languages being spoken by obvious tourists. Hence, Boston is world class.
Just like a museum
Or Disney World. Hmm.
I think you might be on the right track though. I would just expand the criteria from tourists to a wide variety of people. International trade, finance, art, education as well as tourists.