New York City case
New York City is one of the World’s significant cities. It is a flourishing city located around the meeting point of the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is composed of five boroughs, namely, Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Staten Island, Queens, and the Bronx. Among the five boroughs of the City, Manhattan is the largest and the most populated borough. Overall, New York City is a leading commercial, cultural, and financial center, not just in the United States, but globally.
The modern history of New York City is a thrilling one. Today’s New York City was formed in 1898, after the consolidation of several boroughs. The city witnessed extensive growth in the 20th century, making it a leading commercial, political, and financial center (Burrows and Wallace, 1998). In the 1920s, the growth rate of New York City increased, and it overtook the city of London as the largest metropolis at that time. The city emerged largely unscathed after the Second World War. The Wall Street was, at that time, an icon of the economic might of the city. The geopolitical influence of the city was emphasized by the completion of the United Nations complex in 1952 (Kasinitz, Mollenkopf, Waters, and Holdaway, 2009). At this time, abstract expressionism was gaining pace in the city, displacing Paris as the world center for art. In the 1960s, the city witnessed protests by the gay communities calling for equality. However, the city has since become a center for LGBT rights groups (Keller, 2010). In the 1970s, the economic woes due to economic restructuring led to a surge in unemployment and crime. The history of the city was redefined by the 2001 terrorist attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. Over 2500 people died in the attack, one of the largest of this kind in the World (Sanderson, 2013). The world trade center was rebuilt into one of the most spectacular civil engineering and architecture masterpieces in the World. The rebuilding of the world trade center shows the position of the City and the United States at large on the fight against terrorism.
The New York City is a major commercial center of the United States and the World at large. The city is home to the New York City Exchange, which lists significant companies globally. It currently lists over 1900 companies, in which over 1500 companies are based in the United States. The New York Stock Exchange is arguably the most prestigious stock exchange in the World, and nearly all major companies globally are listed there (Sanderson, 2013). This shows the standing of New York City as a major commercial center in the World. Aside from this, the city is the headquarters of some of the largest companies in the World. Some of these companies include the Citi Inc., Pepsi, IBM, Verizon, among other global giants. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
The New York City is also a major financial center in the United States. The borough of Manhattan is considered the financial center of the New York City. The city continues to rank first as on the Global Financial centers index. Therefore, it is regarded as the financial capital of the World. The banking system in New York I one of its kind in the World. It is hugely coordinated, giving businesses and individuals easy access to banking services. In the aspect of the Gross Domestic Product, the city continues to be a world leader. As of 2005, the GDP of the metropolitan area of New York was $1.3 Trillion, making it the largest regional economy in the United States. Also, by the end of 2008, the city controlled over 40% of the World’s finances, putting it well ahead of its peers.
The position of New York City as a global cultural center cannot be underestimated. It has been consistently referred to as the cultural capital of the World. This stems from the vast population it boasts of, and the diversity associated with this population. The metropolitan city area is home to over 10 million people and over 800 languages are spoken in the city. Most of the American cultural movements trace their roots to New York, thanks to its great ethnic diversity. A good example of these cultural movements is the Harlem Renaissance (Burrows and Wallace, 1998). Also, the city has been crucial for the evolution of American music and dance. For instance, the city was face of the Jazz music in the United States in the 1940s. To exemplify its role as a cultural center globally, the Department of Cultural Affairs OF New York City is the biggest funder of art-related issues in the United States. This is commented by the presence of world-class museums in the city, including the World famous art museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sport wise, the city is a leading sports centre in the United States. It hosts the headquarters of Major League Soccer, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and the National Football League. The city also boasts of five of the most expensive stadia in the World, confirming its status as a world sporting center.
The New York City is also a city of great political significance in the World. It is often regarded as the World’s capital city due to its role in the World’s politics and cooperation between nations. It is a major center of international affairs, and it is the headquarters of the United Nations. The United Nations is the most significant global organization that influences many world policies, through its many subsidiaries. The Security Council and the General Assembly are some of the critical components of the United Nations based in the city. Each year, world leaders converge at the United Nations complex for the assembly meeting. This shows the sheer importance of the city in shaping global politics. It is a major center of international diplomacy. Aside from the United Nations, many other world bodies, are headquartered in the city. Therefore, its role in global politics cannot be underestimated.
The New York City is a flourishing metropolis, and its skyline evidences this. IT has some of the most spectacular skylines globally, with some of the tallest buildings in the World. The city has many architecturally worthy buildings and other infrastructure, such as the metro system, confirming its status as a global city. The Manhattan district is home to many skyscrapers and is often regarded as the financial district of the city. Overall, the city has over 6000 high rise buildings, and only Seoul and Hong Kong are ahead if the city on this feat. Some of the major skyscrapers in the city are the One World Trade Centre and the Empire state building.
The New York City is also a major industrial center. There is a wide range of manufacturing industries in the city, including the railroad rolling stock, which is one of the major industries in the city. The city is also a significant fashion center as it hosts some of the World’s largest textile companies. Recently, there has been a rise in the technical manufacturing sector, occasioned by the cheaper and low paying manufacturing jobs relocating overseas. Some of the main technical manufacturing industries include the manufacture of computer parts, 3-D printing, software engineering tools, and video games, among others. The Staten Island and the east of Newark are the main manufacturing hubs of the city.
New York City has always stood out because of its zoning regulations. The zoning regulations in the city are myriad and complex, thanks to its large population size and geographical size. The Planning Department of New York City is the central policymaker in the aspect of the zoning regulations in the city. Due to the influx of population and other factors, the zoning regulations of the city have sometimes been compromised and changed frequently. A good example of this is the Manhattan district, where if the current zoning regulations were enforced from the beginning, at least 40% of the buildings in the city would not be allowed. The city has some of the most distinct zoning regulations in the World. Firstly, the regulations clearly demarcate industrial, commercial and residential districts. In regard to this aspect, many cities globally, residential districts are three to four, dependent on density of population. However, New York has many subgroups in these categories, numbering over 100. Secondly, the city has sky exposure plane regulations, which are unique in the World. These regulations do not only guide in height but also the shadow restriction of high rise buildings. Thirdly, there are regulations allowing property owners to sell some rights, for example, regulations on shadows to neighboring properties. Finally, there are regulations on dancing in clubs and other entertainment joints. It is prohibited if the necessary approvals are not made.
The housing market is another significant aspect of the New York City. The city envisions to provide affordable and high-quality housing to its inhabitants. This is in line with the objectives of the city towards being a benchmark of all housing programs in cities globally. On average, the borough of Manhattan has the highest rent rates, with an average of $3000 per month (Fields and Uffer, 2016). These rates are among the highest in the United States, and they continue to rise gradually. Despite this, the city of New York has a robust housing program. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is the body charged with the provision of public housing in the city. It administers section eight leasing housing programs in nearly all rental apartments. The NYCHA has an excess of 300 housing development across the city, housing over 400,000 inhabitants of New York. A number of pioneering efforts have been put in place to ensure that all city dwellers have access to affordable housing. Some of the best housing programs in the city include the Home of Your Own (HOYO) initiative, the Veterans Housing Programme, among others (Fields and Uffer, 2016). Despite these efforts, the management of the city must put measures to manage the skyrocketing rent rates in the city
Conclusively the New York City continues to set the bar for other global cities. Its importance geopolitically cannot be underestimated as it hosts the most prominent world organization, the United Nations. This, combined with the extensive cultural diversity of the city, makes it even more critical on the world stage. The city is also a significant economic hub globally, and it operates the most prestigious stock exchange system in the World. Its transport system is also high class and stands out as among the best in the World. Despite all these, the city continues to flourish and expand. This is reaffirmed by the city’s impressive skyline, which is one of the most spectacular in the World. It is not only this appeal that put the city above the rest but also the recovery of the city after the September 11 attack in 2001. Its evolution since the tragedy to a financial, cultural, political, and manufacturing hub of the World is a significant part of the future of the city.
References
Burrows, E. G., & Wallace, M. (1998). Gotham: a history of New York City to 1898.
Oxford University Press.
Fields, D., & Uffer, S. (2016). The financialisation of rental housing: A comparative analysis
of New York City and Berlin. Urban Studies, 53(7), 1486-1502.
Kasinitz, P., Mollenkopf, J. H., Waters, M. C., & Holdaway, J. (2009). Inheriting the city:
The children of immigrants come of age. Russell Sage Foundation.
Keller, L. (2010). Triumph of order: Democracy and public space in New York and
London. Columbia University Press.
Sanderson, E. W. (2013). Mannahatta: a natural history of New York City. Abrams.