Credit to:
Hussam Salama, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Department of Architecture and Urban Planning
Qatar University
Hussam.salama@qu.edu.qa
Introduction
During the last decade, many cities in the Middle East have experienced dramatic forms of urban change in response to the new world order and what is referred to as “globalization.” Global flows of capital, people, and knowledge and information began to reshape the economic, social, and political structures of cities across the region. These flows were not necessarily imposed by the new world system. In fact, many major Middle East cities have been investing in projects that have the capacity of triggering these flows to their local contexts. The quest for a top ranking “world city” have dominated urban development in the region (see Friedmann 1986). Priority was given to projects that can intensify global flows. Airports, financial centers, education and media cities, spectacular museums, and mega shopping malls are all examples of these projects, which I refer to as “places of global flows.” These places have the capacity of hosting agglomerations of global flows and facilitating their transmission to the local context. They became core urban components in most of globalizing cities in the Middle East. They are currently playing a very critical role in shaping urban transformation in the region. These places pose challenges to local socio-cultural and economic structures. They also offer opportunities for development and advancement. Places of flows are actually accelerating and intensifying the interaction between the local and the global, creating landscapes of contaminated cultures (see Appiah 2006).
During the last decade, many cities in the Middle East have experienced dramatic forms of urban change in response to the new world order and what is referred to as “globalization.” Global flows of capital, people, and knowledge and information began to reshape the economic, social, and political structures of cities across the region. These flows were not necessarily imposed by the new world system. In fact, many major Middle East cities have been investing in projects that have the capacity of triggering these flows to their local contexts. The quest for a top ranking “world city” have dominated urban development in the region (see Friedmann 1986). Priority was given to projects that can intensify global flows. Airports, financial centers, education and media cities, spectacular museums, and mega shopping malls are all examples of these projects, which I refer to as “places of global flows.” These places have the capacity of hosting agglomerations of global flows and facilitating their transmission to the local context. They became core urban components in most of globalizing cities in the Middle East. They are currently playing a very critical role in shaping urban transformation in the region. These places pose challenges to local socio-cultural and economic structures. They also offer opportunities for development and advancement. Places of flows are actually accelerating and intensifying the interaction between the local and the global, creating landscapes of contaminated cultures (see Appiah 2006).In this article, I propose an analytical framework in order to develop a better understanding of the role of places of flows in shaping the urban structure of globalizing cities in the Middle East. The model dissects the urban structure of the city into groups of “places of flows” based on type and scale. Firstly, I identify four types of places of flows: 1) Places of capital flows such as financial headquarters and business centers; 2) Places of people flows such as tourist attractions, foreign labor districts and airports; 3) Places of goods flows such as ports and shopping malls; and 4) Places of information and ideas flows such as information technology headquarters, international schools and universities
Secondly, I categorize each type of these places into:
1) Micro places of flows which are small hubs that connect a local context to the global domain. They perform individually and spontaneously with minimum regulations. They also don’t feature any forms of coordination. Homes, offices and cafes exposed to global flows of information via internet and satellite channels fall under this category.
2) Intermediate scale places of flows, which feature more intense agglomerations of global flows than micro hubs. They perform in a relatively more regulated and coordinated manner and are usually run by institutions or organizations.
3) Mega places of flows, which are hubs that host very intense and massive scales of global flows. They are usually very specialized and regulated. Besides, they require huge investments, which make them a key feature of rich cities. Explicating the dynamics of these different types and scales of places of flows is crucial for the understanding of the urban condition in globalizing Middle Eastern cities. These places currently play the major role in shaping the social, economic and political structure of these cities. They perform as hubs that attract and host agglomerations of global flows and transmit them to the local context. In the following section, I discuss briefly the nature of these places of global flows, their types and scales.
| Scale of Places of Flows | Type of Places of Flows | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Places of Capital Flows | Places of People Flows | Places of Information and Knowledge Flows | |
| Micro Scale | – Small Businesses |
– Small businesses – Small tourist attractions |
– Homes – Small offices – Internet cafes |
| Intermediate Scale |
– Financial enterprises – Business headquarters – Shopping centers – International chains – Commercial districts |
– Tourist destinations – Recreational Facilities – Hotels – Foreign labor camps and ethnic enclaves |
– Educational and research institutions – Libraries – Museums |
| Mega Scale |
– Financial Cities – Stock exchanges – Free zones – Ports – Mega shopping malls |
– International airport – Mega shopping malls – Spectacular iconic buildings |
– Media cities – Education cities – Information technology parks |
Places of Global Flows
In order for capital, people, goods and information to move to a city, there must be places that have the capacity of transferring them to the local context. These places invite global flows to the city and trigger its globalization. Different types of flows can overlap in the same place. In other words, a single place can host multiple types of global flows.
A-Types of Places of Flows:
1-Places of Capital Flows:
The revolution of communication and information technology has accelerated and intensified the movement of capital across the globe. It facilitated transnational trade and communication between sites of production and those of consumption. It also allowed the relocation of corporate offices far from manufacturing sites. This has led to the emergence of new forms of concentrations or what Saskia Sassen calls “production complexes” (Sassen 1995). The movements of capital between cities demand the presence of places such as international banks, stock markets andfinancial headquarters poles of transactions, the production and consumption sites. The quality and quantity of these places indicate the scale of capital flows to the city and its role in the global economy
2-Places of People Flows:
As noted by Smith and Timberlake (1995), “the world system is constituted, on one level, by a vast network of locales that are tied together by multitude of direct and indirect exchanges” (Smith & Timberlake 1995). In the case of global flows of people, these ties include modes of transportation that facilitate the movement of people and hubs that host their agglomerations. Places such as airports, seaports, highways and train stations facilitate human mobility. They contribute to what Donald Janelle (1969) describes as “space-time convergence” or the diminishing time needed to connect two places due to the advancement of transportation technologies (Janelle 1969). Hotels, resort areas, tourist attractions, and immigrants enclaves are all examples of nodes of agglomeration that host flows of people. These capacity of these places determine the scale of human flows to a city.
3-Places of Information and Knowledge Flows:
Unlike people, information can move from one place to another in enormous speed. Through the Internet, satellite channels and other modes of digital communication, information can penetrate local boundaries and territories. As the case of other types of flows, information requires the presence of places that have the capacity of hosting and transmitting its flows to the local context. In the early phasesof globalization, flows of information and knowledge were spontaneous and occurred on individualistic levels through internet and satellite channels. However, these forms of exchange were gradually institutionalized and managed by organizations and institutions. Knowledge economy hubs, media cities and education parks are examples of these institutionalized places of flows. They play a significant role in intensifying information and knowledge flows to the city.
B- Scales of Places of Flows:
1-Micro Places of Global Flows:
Micro places of flows are small places that have the capacity of connecting the local context to the global domain. These places host relatively mild magnitude of flows. They perform individually and spontaneously with minimum regulations. They also don’t feature any forms of coordination. Homes, offices and small retail spaces exposed to global flows via internet and satellite channels fall under this category. These places represent the micro units of the networks of hubs that host agglomerations of flows in the city. They mainly rely on basic means of digital communication and are usually developed by individuals
.In the era of globalization, micro places of flows play a significant role in the development of a network society. They allow global flows, mainly of information and ideas, to penetrate most of the political, social, and cultural boundaries. Micro places of flows form the basic infrastructure that exposes societies to new ideas and free open sources of knowledge. They represent an important indicator of the degree of connectivity of a society to the global domain.
2-Intermediate Scale Places of Global Flows:
Intermediate scale places of flows feature more intense flows than micro ones. Business centers, governmental headquarters, universities, hotels and shopping malls are examples of this category.15These places host agglomerations of flows in a relatively more regulated and coordinated manner. They are usually run by institutions and have the capability of filtering flows in order to serve specific interests and intentions. These places act as nodes of concentrated flows within the fabric of micro hubs. They are crucial for cities aiming to become part of the global economy. Intermediate scale places of flows are usually developed by governments or corporations. They feature higher more advanced modes of communication than micro places. These places are essential for knowledge based economies. Their presence encourages transnational corporates and talented professionals to relocate in the city.
3-Mega Places of Flows:
Mega places of flows host very intense and massive scales of global flows. They feature concentrations of activities that focus on connecting the local context to the global domain. Financial, education, science and media cities that have been emerging in many cities in the Middle East are examples of this category. Because of their huge cost, these places are usually developed by governments and non-profit organizations. They require huge funding which make them a feature of rich cities. Many globalizing cities in the Middle East have been investing in mega places flows in an attempt to push development and economic progress
Mega places of flows are very specialized in the types of flows they host. They rely on best experts, intellectuals, scientists, researchers and professionals to manage communication between the local and the global. They follow the highest international standards and usually feature an overlap of flows of capital, people, and information and knowledge.
| Developer | Control and Regulation | Specialization | Cost | Penetration of the Society | Nature of Flows | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micro Hubs | Individuals | Least | Not specialized | Low | Large numbers, high penetration | Very spontaneous |
| Intermediate Scale Hubs | Government, Private sector | Average | Relatively specialized | Average | Average penetration | Educational, economic and business oriented |
| Mega Hubs | Government, NGOs | Very strict | Extremely specialized | Very High | Focus, limited penetration | Very advanced and Specialized forms of flows |
Conclusion
This article presents an analytical model that can contribute to a better understanding of the nature of globalizing cities in the Middle East. In the era of globalization, places of flows are becoming a major urban component in cities aiming to become part of the new world order. These places play an important role in shaping the relation between the local and the global. Their presence significantly influences the social, economic and political structures of cities. These places have the capacity of triggering substantial flows of capital, people , and information between the global domain and the local context
It could be argued that this intense exposure to global flows opens venues for globalizing cities to achieve rapid development and advancement. It allowed an open access to knowledge and information. It also empowered developing economies to compete in attracting global investments. However, these flows also pose challenges to the urban sustainability of cities in the region. Global flows have triggered the emergence of economic, cultural and social enclaves that contrast dramatically with its urban contexts. This has created significant forms of polarization and segregation. It raises critical questions regarding the sustainability of the urban condition in these globalizing cities and their ability to maintain socio-political stability in the future. Understanding the dynamics of places of flows and their role in shaping the urban structure of these cities is crucial in addressing these questions.
Published in 2A Magazine# 26, Winter 2014