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The "history" argument is weak too. Rome embarrasses NYC in terms of history, is it more world class? Absolutely not. You don't get extra points for being old.
The "history" argument is weak too. Rome embarrasses NYC in terms of history, is it more world class? Absolutely not. You don't get extra points for being old.
None of the oldest cities in the US come close to being World Class
For 60 sq miles that is absolutely pitiful if you ask me, given the same area I bet even cities like Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, all have more density than DC, I'm sorry but that's right down embarassing
It's more like a sprawling mega-region consisting of suburb-to-suburb ties than a traditional, fully functioning city, with all the trappings (historic core, great and utilized transportation, wlakable, etc.). LA's "city" -- downtown-- is small and not very energetic, at least when compared with NYC (esp.) and Chicago. For this reason, I always think of U.S.' two major cities being NYC and Chicago. Los Angeles is huge, but it's a "region".
It's cute to see this tag team between DC and Chicago, the fact remains that both of these cities are a drop in the bucket compared to the endless sprawl surrounding them especially Chicago all you have to do is look at the city and metro populations so I guess they're regions themselves right Part of being a world city is being a well known city and we all that Chicago falls to the bottom of the list on that regard
My definition of world class city:
1) Educated population
2) Diverse population
3) Vibrant downtown w/ restaurants, shops
4) Wealthy individuals and major economic activity concentrated in core
5) Good theaters, museums, libraries
6) Transit
7) Interesting architecture and vibrant streetscapes
By those standards my list would be:
1st tier) New York- top 3 or 4 global city
2nd tier) Chicago/ SF - world class cities, good museums, restaurants, transit.
3rd tier) Boston- Well rounded, but not as extensive as Chicago or SF.
4rth tier) Philly/Seattle. Both are almost world class, but both have short comings.
World class cities that are hard to rank: DC- Things that are subsidized by US taxpayers are NYC-level world class (museums, monuments, economy) Things that aren't: downtown shopping, DC public library, restaurants are below SF/Chi level.
LA- Obviously has world class amenities, but not really a "world class city" in the traditional sense.
It's cute to see this tag team between DC and Chicago, the fact remains that both of these cities are a drop in the bucket compared to the endless sprawl surrounding them especially Chicago all you have to do is look at the city and metro populations so I guess they're regions themselves right Part of being a world city is being a well known city and we all that Chicago falls to the bottom of the list on that regard
We all know how cities are judged by the suburbs around them rather than their cores. Who would go to Paris and visit Pigalle when they can spend their time in Mee sur le Seine?
That's not really a big difference, especially when you consider the size and the differences in peak density and how long it is sustained in DC vs LA.
Nothing wrong with DC and it is right on the edge of a world-class city, but the argument that LA is not world class because it is a suburb or lacks transit is tired, dated and misinformed / misguided.
Sorry LA haters but none of you are experts on world cities, look at the wiki link and see how many times LA is included in the categories and rankings sorry but when it comes to the U.S. LA is solid #2 Global city - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Part of being a world city is being a well known city and we all that Chicago falls to the bottom of the list on that regard
