Does globalization affect city center? cole

Globalization is the intertwining of economies, societies, technologies, and information of countrie across the globe.

Therefore, cities that have a comparative advantage in any of these sectors will benefit from a global village. However, cities without an advatage in these areas will deteriorate.

The global village will require cities to become high tech and ever changing to adopt new technologies and adapt to the needs of its developing generation.

Global cities are need access to the financial markets. Without access to finanical markets cities will become out-of-date and out-of-style. Money matters which means access to cash will ulitmately be king.

The way goods are moved across the globe will likely change in the coming years. Port cities will have to reinvent themselves as the amount of large goods decreases. Commodities will likely remain strong in the future, but other goods will decrease.

Information transfer does not need to take place in a centralized location. The internet and communication technology allows for information transfer anywhere on the globe. The city center no longer is the place to gain access to the society, but merely an inconvenient bus ride to a deserted island in many areas.

A phenomena known as the Urban "heat island" effect compounds and exacerbates climate change. Pavement, buildings, and other structures typical of urban areas replace natural vegetation and eliminate the cooling provided by vegetation through both shade and evapotranspiration. In urban areas temperatures can be raised from this process between two and ten degrees fahrenheit. This contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone, which can be detrimental to human health. Furthermore, the compounding effects of the urban heat island and increased temperatures from climate change result in increased demand for air conditioning. Increased air conditioning means increased generation of electricity which again contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases and climate change. (http://www.biology.duke.edu/bio217/2002/smo3/urbandrivers.html)