The world has developed in respect to social, economic and cultural aspects. This has resulted in the establishment of cities. There are a number of major cities in specific parts of the world where the levels of development have been observed and classified accordingly. A global map has been developed by the Global and World Cities Network that classifies cities according to the level of globalization. Each of the cities listed is studied according to the economic, social and cultural aspects. As more and more developments continue to take shape in these cities, need for cooperation in the key areas of development creates competition. Each specific city wants to have the best economic environment that will attract investors and an environment that will favor cultural and social development. The interaction of economic, cultural and social aspects between cities results in transnational processes. These processes are the driving force behind the development of any respective city.
Transnationalism is an aspect related to the interactivity of people in various countries on matters to do with economic and social development. Transnationalism is clearly observed in cities as people migrate to cities offering favorable working conditions. Wide availability of job opportunities in cities like London (United Kingdom) and Berlin (Germany) attracts a large number of skilled and semi-skilled laborers. This is as a result of the establishment of global conglomerates in cities. Multinational businesses establish their businesses in the major towns in an effort to tap the global market and take advantage of the diverse labor force available . Other than migration of people in search better social amenities in cities, collaboration on projects such as manufacturing of airplanes helps to create a systematic binding of these cities. This is because a particular city may have the right resources to tackle a particular aspect of the project that other cities lack. In such a scenario, it would be ideal to have that part of the project conducted in that respective city. In other cases, nations may be involved in a joint operation that will require specific cities in the respective nations to take part. For instance, the Typhoon Eurofighter jet is developed by Germany in Munich, United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. As the world continues to develop, more cities will continue to grow offering a new kind of services.
As transnational processes continue to take shape and global cities emerge, there is a need to look at the advantages and disadvantages of the whole issue. Among the advantages of these processes is that there will be an increased access to resources such as labor in cities such as New Delhi (India) and Shanghai (China). Businesses will be able to tap into these markets and look for cheap labor to try and reduce costs. Diverse cultures in the global cities will help create a cosmopolitan culture that appreciates the social and cultural background of people. This will promote the development of the respective city if it will be able to harmonize the transnational process in effect.
The major disadvantage of transnational processes on cities is that cities may not be in a position to handle the various changes taking place. There will be a need to come up with new policies concerning economic and social aspects of each respective city.
In conclusion, cities in various parts of the world have developed to the extent of being referred to as global cities. Transnational processes in these cities have led to a systematic binding of the cities as they compete and work on projects. This will continue to influence global development and interaction.
References
GaWC. (2011, September 13). The World According to GaWc 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from Globalization and World Cities Research Network: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2010t2.html
Genis, S. (2007). Globalization of Cities:Towards Conceptualizing a New Politics of Place-Making in a Transnational Era. 77.
Posey, C. (2012, July). Europe’s Typhoon Fighter. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from Air & Space Magazine: http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/Typhoon-Watch.html
Scott, S. (2007, May 22). The ability of "world city" theory to explain contemporary patterns and processes of intra-European labour migration. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from migrationonline.cz: http://www.migrationonline.cz/en/the-ability-of-world-city-theory-to-explain-contemporary-patterns-and-processes-of-intra-european-labour-migration
The University of Chicago. (2013). Research:Transitional Process. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from Socioloogy: http://sociology.uchicago.edu/people/transnational.shtml
