Article
Global Cities, Systemic Power and Upper Middle Class Influence
Urban Affairs Review
(2003)
Abstract
Perhaps the central feature distinguishing global cities from nonglobal ones is transnational connectedness. But another important consideration in urban globalization is the disproportion-ately high presence of upper middle class (UMC) whose membership includes institutional professionals at the forefront of postmodern awareness and international experience. Symbolized by a lifestyle genre, the UMC is more than a marker of the global city. It exerts a subliminal influence that prescribes the cityscape policy that outcomes planners emphasize to ensure principal membership for the city in global exchange. The author theorizes about this relationship under-lying global-city development, proposes a construct for each variable, presents some preliminary empirical evidence of the association, and draws some implications about its social impacts.
Keywords
- global cities,
- upper middle class (UMC),
- globalization,
- UMC genre,
- social liberalism,
- policy making
Disciplines
Publication Date
July 1, 2003
DOI
10.1177/1078087403038006003
Publisher Statement
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Citation Information
Herman L. Boschken. "Global Cities, Systemic Power and Upper Middle Class Influence" Urban Affairs Review Vol. 38 Iss. 6 (2003) p. 808 - 830 ISSN: 1078-0874 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/herman_boschken/18/