CENTRE FOR URBAN AND COMMUNITY STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO April 30, 2013

1. CENTRE FOR URBAN AND COMMUNITY STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTOApril 30, 2013 H.V. Savitch Brown & Williamson Distinguished Research Professor “WHAT MAKES A GREAT CITY GREAT? PUTTING TORONTO IN PERSPECTIVE

2. Searching for GreatnessDEFINITIONS A person, place or thing that stands out above all others in significant respects Having majesty and prominence over particular domains Extraordinary and distinguished in particular ways More controversially, conveying an “elitist” or “superior” quality

3. IDENTIFYING GREAT CITIES • General Characteristics • Uniqueness • Marginality (re conventional patterns) • Spontaneity • Flux , slack, uncertainty • Mainly the presence of conditions • An environment rather than a creation • Cultivated rather than planned

4. HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS • Athens (5th century BCE) • Naval fleet/knowledge/values/philosophy/”democracy” • Rome (3rd century CE) • Military conquest, imperial governance, Latin as lingua franca, public works, architecture, roads Athens • Florence (14th-16th centuries CE) • Painting, sculpture, scientific design • Amsterdam (17th century CE) • Shipping, ports, international trade, colonialism Amsterdam

5. HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS • London (19th early 20th century) • Manufacture, finance, international trade, empire • Apologies to Jerusalem, 1 CE as religious birthplace, Paris, 1890s for its art and architecture, Berlin, 1920s for its theater, and others Jerusalem

6. THE 4Cs OF GREATNESS • Currency, Cosmopolitan, Concentration and Charisma • Currency: cutting edge of the times, set values of the times (two senses) • Cosmopolitanism: global, international, poly-ethnic or multi-cultural features (connectivity to a larger world) • Concentration: demographic density, productive mass, centeredness, continuous development, mixed and accessible land uses • Charisma: magnetic appeal; magical qualities capable of generating enthusiasm, admiration or allegiance

7. The 4 Cs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco Currency • NYC’s dominant economy (Wall Street diversified by advertising, law, tourism, hotels, theater, fashion, arts) • LA’s media economy (film/TV production; diversified by high tech, light manufacture and retail) • SF’s balanced economy (“Wall Street of the West” diversified by high/bio tech, health, trade and tourism) • Chicago’s transitioned economy ( diversified by transportation, distribution, corporate headquarters)

8. The 4 Cs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco Cosmopolitanism • NYC as world’s immigrant city; waves of Dutch, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Slav, Black, Puerto Rican immigration (ethnic neighborhoods (Moynihan’s & Glazer’s, Beyond the Melting Pot) United Nations, foreign consulates • LA’s influx from rest of nation plus Mexican; Persian settled in low density, heterogeneous neighborhoods • SF’s early foreign stock (Italy, Germany, Ireland and Russia) succeed by leftist, youth, Gay & “trendy” influx • Chicago’s little bit of everything; Lakefront (“patricians”) Bridgeport (Irish ) Near West Side (Greek, Italian) North Side (“yuppie”) and South Side(African American)—convergence at “The Loop”

9. The 4 Cs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco • Concentration • NYC’s highest density of 24,000 per sq. mi. (Manhattan @ 70,000) matched by a noted epicenter (Times Square) high subway ridership (1.4 million) & mixed land uses. • SF’s high density of 16,000 per sq. mi. matched by strong centers & public transit high commuters (120,000) & lightly diversified city. New York City San Francisco

10. The 4 Cs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco • Concentration • Chicago’s density of 12,700 per sq mi. fed by 100,000 commuters; portrayed via “concentric zone” theory • LA’s lower/extended densities of 8000 per sq. mi.; much lower public transit of just 6,000 commuters spreads, segregated uses through area; portrayed via “post modernism” Chicago Los Angeles

11. The 4 Cs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco • Charisma • NYC’s “The Big Apple, unique cultural mix (Broadway, Little Italy, Harlem, West Village); “make it there, make it anywhere • Chicago as the “second city” that is not NYC; (Lakefront, “Golden Mile”, Wrigley Field); “town that won’t let you down” • San Francisco as America’s picturesque city (Victorian, Ghiardelli Square, Golden Gate Bridge, “deviance” as civility; “city on the Bay” • Los Angeles, despite critiques (short on character) has its devotees, free wheeling and open environment; lack of a renowned sobriquet

12. Table 1

13. Table 1 Cont’d

14. COMPARING BY NUMBERS • Currency: NY tops /SF high pci/LA gmp/Chicago’s balance • Cosmopolitanism: NY predominates followed by LA, Chicago and SF • Concentration: NY, highest density, sharpest density gradient plus high public transit, next by SF & Chicago: LA lower density (spread city) • Charisma: NY leads (most counts) LA high (movies/desirable) and SF (Bohemian and amenities) and Chicago (Google,Bohemian)

15. COMPARING BY NUMBERS All told: 22 measures/ 88 observations our four cities w/I top fifth 72 % of time (exchge. Boston, Seattle, Washington, DC /not Houston, Phoenix, SD) • LA as exception (post modernism, DEAD) proves rule • Chicago’s transformation & niche as “second best”

16. Table 1 (with Toronto)

17. Table 1 Cont’d