6 ms·

Can we stop using Manhattan as shorthand for a giant city center? NYC is a cultural world capital, as well as economic hub. Good luck trying to actually build

by seppin 8y ago

Can we stop using Manhattan as shorthand for a giant city center? NYC is a cultural world capital, as well as economic hub. Good luck trying to actually build another one of those. There's a reason why there's only 3-4 in the world and they haven't changed in centuries.

breakbread 8y ago
From TFA: > Welcome to Yujiapu Financial District, which promotes itself as China’s Manhattan...
dan_quixote 8y ago
I've heard people unironically refer to Frankfurt as 'Frankhattan' and it makes me cringe. Be your own identity.
- chihuahua 8y ago
  I've heard the name "Mainhattan" being used, because it's located on the river named "Main"
ghostly_s 8y ago
I see... about 20 skyscrapers? More like China's downtown Cincinnati...
- sct202 8y ago
  It's also 30 miles away from the city center of Tianjin. I can see why no one wants to live there.
leighfuu 8y ago
Completely agree. Cities exist because of people/trade/geography, occasionally humans miss a place, or something about the above changes and centrally planning one works. And the reverse happens too, climate change, technology, and movement of people can all *end a city. England has this in a microcosm in the north. Huge great cities sprung and died on the change in technology. America is going through the same process with Detroit and rust belt.
jimmaswell 8y ago
What do you consider the other ones? And I'm guessing the reason is valuable geographical position (in NYC's case it's a major shipping hub for both the Atlantic and the Hudson River) and the network effect. But valuable geography can change over time, and who knows how long the network effect of cities is going to last when we finally start making more jobs remote instead of wasting space and other resources on offices and people are free to live wherever they want.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- saalweachter 8y ago
  It was the Erie Canal that really made New York -- it allowed shipping into the Great Lakes.
- seppin 8y ago
  > What do you consider the other ones? London obviously, but they might be turning inwards with Brexit and losing that status. The next tier is Tokyo, maybe another Asian capital soon. Paris, Vienna, etc. were part of a Euro-centric world but don't have much relevancy beyond a holiday destination. London and NYC both create culture from aspects of people from around the world, then export it. I don't see China being able to do this.
heurist 8y ago
NYC only became a cultural and financial center in the last century. The core Western cultural hub has been moving around over the last couple centuries - Vienna, Paris, NYC, now arguably SF. It's not impossible for another to rise in this century. I could easily see two world cultural centers reflecting the divide in underlying cultural polarities (conformism vs. individualism, etc). China as the epicenter for a new pole makes sense, though stifled speech may affect it. Maybe a diverse satellite, like Hong Kong or Bangkok. (I haven't visited Asia so I don't have a good grasp of dynamics there).
- notfromhere 8y ago
  San Francisco is not a cultural hub. Cultural products still largely come out of two places: LA and NYC. edit: anyone downvoting, feel free to defend what makes SF the cultural hub for western civilization.
  - heurist 8y ago
    Technological and social impact. SV owns the west's attention and behavior right now. I do not consider art to be the only cultural artifact. OP in this thread actually included financial impact in its consideration of NYC. Technology is as much a cultural factor as finance.
    - seppin 8y ago
      > Technological and social impact. That's what makes SF a financial capital. What are its cultural contributions? Hoodies and overpriced coffee? > SV owns the west's attention and behavior right now Tech acts to capture and reflect culture, it doesn't create any. Even if it did, having companies based in SF wouldn't make the city itself a cultural capital. Just economic.
      - notfromhere 8y ago
        It's an ironic claim given how tech has driven out all the creative types out of SF

by seppin 8y ago

breakbread 8y ago

From TFA: > Welcome to Yujiapu Financial District, which promotes itself as China’s Manhattan...

dan_quixote 8y ago

I've heard people unironically refer to Frankfurt as 'Frankhattan' and it makes me cringe. Be your own identity.

chihuahua 8y ago
I've heard the name "Mainhattan" being used, because it's located on the river named "Main"

ghostly_s 8y ago

I see... about 20 skyscrapers? More like China's downtown Cincinnati...

sct202 8y ago
It's also 30 miles away from the city center of Tianjin. I can see why no one wants to live there.

leighfuu 8y ago

Completely agree. Cities exist because of people/trade/geography, occasionally humans miss a place, or something about the above changes and centrally planning one works. And the reverse happens too, climate change, technology, and movement of people can all *end a city. England has this in a microcosm in the north. Huge great cities sprung and died on the change in technology. America is going through the same process with Detroit and rust belt.

jimmaswell 8y ago

What do you consider the other ones? And I'm guessing the reason is valuable geographical position (in NYC's case it's a major shipping hub for both the Atlantic and the Hudson River) and the network effect. But valuable geography can change over time, and who knows how long the network effect of cities is going to last when we finally start making more jobs remote instead of wasting space and other resources on offices and people are free to live wherever they want.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
saalweachter 8y ago
It was the Erie Canal that really made New York -- it allowed shipping into the Great Lakes.
seppin 8y ago
> What do you consider the other ones? London obviously, but they might be turning inwards with Brexit and losing that status. The next tier is Tokyo, maybe another Asian capital soon. Paris, Vienna, etc. were part of a Euro-centric world but don't have much relevancy beyond a holiday destination. London and NYC both create culture from aspects of people from around the world, then export it. I don't see China being able to do this.

heurist 8y ago

NYC only became a cultural and financial center in the last century. The core Western cultural hub has been moving around over the last couple centuries - Vienna, Paris, NYC, now arguably SF. It's not impossible for another to rise in this century. I could easily see two world cultural centers reflecting the divide in underlying cultural polarities (conformism vs. individualism, etc). China as the epicenter for a new pole makes sense, though stifled speech may affect it. Maybe a diverse satellite, like Hong Kong or Bangkok. (I haven't visited Asia so I don't have a good grasp of dynamics there).

notfromhere 8y ago
San Francisco is not a cultural hub. Cultural products still largely come out of two places: LA and NYC. edit: anyone downvoting, feel free to defend what makes SF the cultural hub for western civilization.
- heurist 8y ago
  Technological and social impact. SV owns the west's attention and behavior right now. I do not consider art to be the only cultural artifact. OP in this thread actually included financial impact in its consideration of NYC. Technology is as much a cultural factor as finance.
  - seppin 8y ago
    > Technological and social impact. That's what makes SF a financial capital. What are its cultural contributions? Hoodies and overpriced coffee? > SV owns the west's attention and behavior right now Tech acts to capture and reflect culture, it doesn't create any. Even if it did, having companies based in SF wouldn't make the city itself a cultural capital. Just economic.
    - notfromhere 8y ago
      It's an ironic claim given how tech has driven out all the creative types out of SF