Global Cities

In 2009 humanity passed a global tipping point: for the first time in history more people lived in cities than rural areas, a trend that has since accelerated so that by 2050 70% of the world`s population are projected to live in cities. Not only are more people living in cities, but cities are growing ever larger; the number of cities with more than 10 million inhabitants - `megacities` - is set to grow from 33 in 2018 to 43 by 2030 (UN, 2018). While cities are often sites of economic and cultural innovation and opportunity - hence their attractive power and growth - they also pose huge challenges - including the difficulties of containing contagious diseases (as we saw with COVID-19), transport through their often congested streets, the social sustainability of their ever changing, sometimes conflicting and often vastly unequal (in wealth, power, resources) populations, and environmental sustainability in the context of climate change: as so many large cities - from Rotterdam to Dakar - are situated in low lying delta regions.

This module will provide you with an introduction to urban sociology for the 21st century and equip you with the theoretical and investigative tools to analyze the dynamics and challenges of contemporary global cities. Drawing on case studies from different global regions - Europe (London and Oslo), Africa (Lagos), and South East Asia (Singapore), we will use a range of theories from classic urban sociology (Engels) to contemporary theories of urban polarization (Wacquant), global cities theory (and its critics) to theories of specific processes (e.g. gentrification and the use of space) to understand contemporary urban challenges, from segregation to sustainability to religious diversity.

By the end of the course, students will have achieved the following outcomes:

Knowledge

the student can...

• provide and outline how life in cities and perspectives on urban processes have changed since the industrial revolution, and especially in recent decades
• discuss the concept of 'global city', including criticisms, developments and alternatives to the concept (e.g. 'globalizing' city)
• describe social and environmental challenges facing global and globalizing cities, and present examples of how different cities are responding to these challenges
• present an account of the lived experience of diverse residents in different global cities
• compare how two global cities are responding to related challenges

Skills

the student is able to...

• compare how two global cities are responding to related challenges
• relate a neighborhood case study to global cultural and economic flows
• compare processes and lived experiences in different global cities
• reflect on the social and sustainability challenges of global and globalizing cities

General competencies

the student ...

• understand and compare how residents from different social classes experience life in global cities in different parts of the world
• have a rough overview of sociological theory and research traditions related to cities