development began late, the concentration of the population in these cities began
after the 1970s.
In the mid-latitude arid region and monsoon Asia, except Japan, many nation
states gained independence from their suzerain powers, and the large cities of
these regions became the capital or primary cities of nation states, thus meeting
the fourth condition for the emergence of megacities. Urban planning and informal urban formation occurred simultaneously in these cities. In the sub-Saharan
Africa region, these developments occurred comparatively late, after the 1960s.
Sovereign states began to take shape in Western Europe from the sixteenth
century, and, on the basis of their diffusion, the concept of nation states emerged
in West Europe and the USA by the eighteenth century. After their civil revolutions, the idea of democracy was also gradually being established. The USA
gained independence in the eighteenth century, and most of the nation states in
North America and Oceania and Latin America were formed in the nineteenth
century. Japan progressed in the same direction during the Meiji period. The
formation of nation states brought about the centralization of the economy and
politics within the primary cities, and nation states required a certain population to
develop megacities.
5. The fifth condition, a sustainable international hub Since 1980, although there
has been a clear distinction between developed countries and developing countries—with the former in upper Eurasia and North America and Oceania, and the
latter in other regions—at the same time, there has been a process of globalization, enabling the transportation of humans, material, and information globally
beyond national borders. Megacities absorb capital from overseas and depend on
the international economy. New York and Tokyo came to be called global cities
along with London in the 1980s.
The fifth condition for the emergence of megacities, the establishment of a
sustainable international hub, has not yet been attained by all of the 18 megacities.
Following New York and Tokyo, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Mumbai became
global cities in the 1990s, followed by Shanghai, Delhi, and Moscow in the
2000s as reflected in the number of foreign-affiliated companies. In the world
system based on nation states, when a city becomes not only the primary city in
each state but also an economic center leading the broader region beyond the
nation state, such megacities gain global importance, regarding the world as their
hinterland, and attract more and more people. If the ratio of the increasing
population and the urban area of 18 megacities loses momentum, such as in
New York, but they continue to keep their population, so these 18 megacities
continue to be megacity in near future. However, the rise of the post-industrial,
information society and the inclination to finance will change the nature of the
megacity.
94
N. Fukami
after the 1970s.
In the mid-latitude arid region and monsoon Asia, except Japan, many nation
states gained independence from their suzerain powers, and the large cities of
these regions became the capital or primary cities of nation states, thus meeting
the fourth condition for the emergence of megacities. Urban planning and informal urban formation occurred simultaneously in these cities. In the sub-Saharan
Africa region, these developments occurred comparatively late, after the 1960s.
Sovereign states began to take shape in Western Europe from the sixteenth
century, and, on the basis of their diffusion, the concept of nation states emerged
in West Europe and the USA by the eighteenth century. After their civil revolutions, the idea of democracy was also gradually being established. The USA
gained independence in the eighteenth century, and most of the nation states in
North America and Oceania and Latin America were formed in the nineteenth
century. Japan progressed in the same direction during the Meiji period. The
formation of nation states brought about the centralization of the economy and
politics within the primary cities, and nation states required a certain population to
develop megacities.
5. The fifth condition, a sustainable international hub Since 1980, although there
has been a clear distinction between developed countries and developing countries—with the former in upper Eurasia and North America and Oceania, and the
latter in other regions—at the same time, there has been a process of globalization, enabling the transportation of humans, material, and information globally
beyond national borders. Megacities absorb capital from overseas and depend on
the international economy. New York and Tokyo came to be called global cities
along with London in the 1980s.
The fifth condition for the emergence of megacities, the establishment of a
sustainable international hub, has not yet been attained by all of the 18 megacities.
Following New York and Tokyo, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Mumbai became
global cities in the 1990s, followed by Shanghai, Delhi, and Moscow in the
2000s as reflected in the number of foreign-affiliated companies. In the world
system based on nation states, when a city becomes not only the primary city in
each state but also an economic center leading the broader region beyond the
nation state, such megacities gain global importance, regarding the world as their
hinterland, and attract more and more people. If the ratio of the increasing
population and the urban area of 18 megacities loses momentum, such as in
New York, but they continue to keep their population, so these 18 megacities
continue to be megacity in near future. However, the rise of the post-industrial,
information society and the inclination to finance will change the nature of the
megacity.
94
N. Fukami