Week 8 - Friday (City Analysis)

1. Where does Seoul fall in the hierarchy of Central Places?

            Seoul, South Korea, is a national metropolis. The word metropolis comes from Greek, meaning "mother of a city." If any city deserves this title, it would be Seoul. The criteria of metropolis lies in its size, its presence as a center for economic, political and cultural activities as well as its being a hub for international connections, commerce and communications.

            Seoul is the world's second largest metropolitan area with almost 26 million residents after Tokyo, Japan. Seoul has the world's fourth largest metropolitan economy with a GDP of USD 773.9 billion after Tokyo, Los Angeles and New York City. Seoul also boasts of cultural landmarks such as Lotte World (the world's largest indoor theme park), Moonlight Rainbow Fountain (the world's longest bridge fountain) and CGV Starium (the world's largest movie screen).

            As a world leading technology hub, it headquarters multinational companies such as Samsung (the world's largest technology), LG and Hyuudai-Kia. Seoul's advanced technology infrastructure allows the world's fastest internet connections. The quality of life in Seoul is higher than those of New York City and London but lower than those of Tokyo and Paris according to the United Nations.

            The Seoul Station, the main terminal of Korean high-speed rail and the Seoul subway system, is the world's largest subway network by length and is considered one of the best. Seoul also is connected to Incheon International Airport, which is rated the world's best airport for seven years in a row by Airports Council International. Seoul hosted 1988 Summer Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup, and the 2010 G-20 Seoul summit.

2. What does Seoul offer that would not be available in a smaller place? What is unavailable locally, but that would be available in a higher order city?

           

            Compared to other Korean cities, Seoul offers variety of choices one can make. It has more college and universities than any other cities. It offers consumers with more choices in clothing, bars, drinks, restaurants and other things. The variety of people is also available. Home over 632,000 international residents, one can definitely spot more foreigners on the streets of Seoul than on those of other smaller cities.

            Seoul as a national metropolis has everything any other major cities can offer. An interesting question, we can ask ourselves is what can a hamlet offer that Seoul cannot? Something Seoul cannot offer is very specified demands. Let's say that the owner of Samsung wants a pair of shoes from a certain Italian shoemaker. If the shoemaker happens to live in a small town or a hamlet, then the hamlet or the town has something that Seoul cannot possibly offer. Of course, the variety of shoes that Seoul has will never be outmatched by the hamlet, but it is interesting to note that even a national metropolis has something that does not have locally.