The corporate headquarters used to be the primary measure of a city's economic clout. Saskia Sassen, while not ignoring headquarters, documented how in the age of globalization, the resurgence of the global city was driven by demand for financial and producer services, not more and bigger HQs. As she pointed out in her seminal book The Global City, "Major cities such as London, New York, and Chicago have been losing top ranked headquarters for at least three decades." Yet despite this they were coming back strong. Back in 2008, I started … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2016
When the Snow Comes Down, New Yorkers Come Out to Play
Much of the eastern US is getting slammed with a blizzard today. But in New York, snow coming down is just yet another reason to get out of the apartment and go play in the park. I went out around 3:00 today and recorded two Periscope videos that you can check out if you want. The first of them is of the cityscape starting at 68th and Columbus, walking south along Columbus and Broadway to Columbus Circle, then into Central Park. The second is a shorter look at people out and about on 72nd St. in Central Park. I had so much fun I was … [Read more...]
Mayor Byron Brown on Buffalo’s “Green Code”, Architecture, Economy, and More
I was privileged to get to record a podcast with Mayor Byron Brown while researching my article on Buffalo for City Journal this spring. Coming after a very tough 2007 Ed Glaeser article in City Journal on the city, it was very gracious of the mayor to agree to talk with me. I want to personally thank and honor him for that. If you do nothing else, listen to the section of the interview about the Buffalo Green Code. This is one of the most important developments ongoing in major American cities right now. Buffalo is completely re-writing … [Read more...]