On the question of THE WORLD CLASS CITY
All the media around the World Cup Soccer 2010 is claiming Johannesburg as a "world class city." So South African talk radio shows - one of the markers of a deliberative democracy - resound with complaints from the (middle class) public about Johannesburg not matching the standards required of a World Class City.
So I arrive in New York and decide to take the train from JFK airport - one of the markers of a World Class City... and no sooner do I get through the turnstile than an attendant tells me the subway's not working and people need to take a shuttle to a station further down. That means schlepping my luggage in the street; hauling it up onto a bus with people pushing and shoving to get on after a long wait; hauling it down again, and then down steps to the subway we reach after about 40 minutes of being stuck in the traffic......
Folks, this is what a world class city is about - there are potholes, the subway doesn't work that well, and that doesn't stop it from being a great city....
Something about the South African middle class spirit has created a fantasy of a world somewhere else - usually 'overseas' - where everything works perfectly....; maybe that's the case somewhere, but not in my favourite World Class city, New York; nor in Jo'burg - who cares, the energy's still fantastic!!
Nice blog post Barbara. I have come across the idea that we should not focus on creating a 'world class' city, but should rather focus on creating a 'nice city'. i.e. a place where people feel happy, safe and fulfilled in their lives, and live in peace - as distinct from some ideas about being globally competitive... It is a different idea from being 'world class' and stimulates some different thinking.
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara: I am currently in Oslo, a very well-organized European city with clean streets, excellent infrastructure, and great social programs that ensure access to education, healthcare, housing, food, culture, and other necessities (yes, art is up there!). This was my first impression, based on my encounters with particular sections of the city. The work I am doing, however, requires me to leave the center and complicate my views by talking with a range of artists, journalists, government officials, public administrators, and city residents. And so another Oslo has become visible, a city which, like every other city I have lived in or spent more than few days visiting, has its inequalities, its contradictions, its struggles, failures, and ambitions. Cities are unresolved and always in process. A robust public sphere, always a sign of a "world class city", is defined by debate, divergent visions, participation, and many sources of pleasure (and pain). As "liberal" as it may be, Oslo disappoints itself while being a source of pride to its citizens. One last note regarding public transportation: the tram I was on today had a mechanical failure that required the driver to stop repeatedly so that he could make temporary repairs. This is just like New York (my home city), I thought, and then I registered the difference--if people on the tram were frustrated they kept it to themselves. In New York you let folks know you're pissed off, its part of the pleasure of being in that city. Oh, one more thing. The Nobel Center is hosting an exhibition on South Africa at the moment--it is a great celebration. I almost detect a note of envy/fantasy at what it must be like to live in a country that triumphed over apartheid. Ah, the greener pastures . . . .
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