Global cities, cosmopolitanism, and geographies of tolerance

Abstract

Scholarly attention devoted to global cities has emphasized their economic and political significance. Yet global cities are also deeply cultural and ideological in nature. Contrary to a long tradition of urban studies that views urban life as inherently alienating, this essay argues that the social and cultural diversity of global cities renders them mechanisms for the generation of tolerance and empathy. It opens with a brief review of global cities. Second, it traces the contours of cosmopolitanism as an ideology that fosters respect for social and cultural differences and a wider community of caring. Third, it reviews the empirical evidence of American global cities to make the case that their diversity leads them to generate a progressive cosmopolitan ethnics. It draws on the literature of social psychology, the work of Richard Florida, and indices of immigration, religious and linguistic diversity, homophobia, and voting patterns to substantiate the claim that cosmopolitan values are most evident and deeply rooted in globalized metropolitan centers.