Level 1 Reading 5A

Ch.9

Reading 5A GLOBAL CITIES "New York City is a star—the city of cities," wrote author John Gunther. But what makes a city great? To answer this question, the creators of the Global Cities Index looked at the following: Business - How many global companies are in the city? Does the city do a lot of international business? People - Does the city attract talented people from around the world? Are the city's universities good? How many residents have college degrees? Media - Is it easy to get information from different sources (TV, radio, Internet)? How many residents have Internet access? Entertainment - Does the city have many entertainment options: museums, sports, music, and different types of restaurants? Politics - How many embassies and international organizations are in the city?

Future Leaders As the graph on the previous page shows, most cities on the Global Cities Index are strong in certain areas. Beijing's strength, for example, is business, while Los Angeles's strength is people. New York, London, and Paris are at the top because they are strong in all five areas. Which cities will become more powerful in the future? Creators of the Global Cities Index predict the most growth in the following places: Asia: Beijing and Shanghai are both business centers and will continue to grow. In a few years, they will be as powerful as New York. Other Chinese cities such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen will also grow. Indian cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi have a lot of business potential, too. South America: Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil, Buenos Aires in Argentina, and Bogota in Colombia will become more powerful. In these cities, the middle class is growing, and life for many people is improving. The Middle East: Istanbul in Turkey, Cairo in Egypt,and the cities of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi will hold more power in international politics and business— especially in helping East and West work together. In 10 years, the top cities on the index may be different, but one thing is certain: With over 50 percent of the world's people now living in urban areas, tomorrow's global cities will be more powerful than ever.

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