[brooklynprospect]

What do you think?

America is a surprising case, since it has far more people than Japan, France or the UK, but only has one city in the top 3 or 4. How about LA?

Or HK, Seoul, Osaka etc. What for instance makes Paris more important than HK or Shanghai?

 

[Monkey]

Is any other city at the same overall level as NY, London, Tokyo, Paris?

In terms of overall importance - no.

 

[spyguy]

If we are to believe the natives of NYC, London, Paris, and Tokyo- no.

 

[Monkey]

We've had this discussion again and again and again on here. These cities are firmly established as the "Big Four" and there's really no point in trying to suggest that any other city can match them for overall importance.

 

[spyguy]

Yeah, look at the discussion. The people that are against any city joining the "club" are the ones already inside. It's like they are oblivious to the chance that any city can rival them, past, present, or future.

Basically what happened in those topics was that someone might ask a legitimate question or ask for examples of something and then someone would post data, news articles, or pictures. Then the person defending the city would say, "HA- that's no match for _____ is Paris/Tokyo/London/New York." Then someone else would ask for something else, and someone would provide examples for that as well, only to be ridiculed. Then another person would bring the discussion back to step 1 and ask the same damn questions, as if their strategy was to wear people down. That's what half the posts are in the topic- garbage to aggravate people. "Paris and London get along dandy and so they'll never become unimportant. You people are so stupid."

And then people would post incorrect information or statistics on their city just to gloat. It's a waste of time- the people that believe their city is on the same level are fighting an uphill battle against mostly people who are unwilling to compromise and just post the same message of "well that doesn't beat XXXX and NYC overshadows it" and don't tell how NYC (or any other city) overshadows it. You know, if we were seeing what beats what then we'd have only the Big One, not the Big Four, as all four can't be better than each other and share the stage by your logic.

 

[PotatoGuy]

LA!!!

 

[pottebaum]

Realizing it's a beautiful and vibrant city, I have to ask...why is Paris so important?

 

[kyenan]

Why is Hongkong not forming Big Five with the Big Four?

 

[eddyk]

Realizing it's a beautiful and vibrant city, I have to ask...why is Paris so important?

I remember when it was the big 3...the Tri-world cities or whatever they were called...London, New York and Tokyo

 

[sean storm]

some of you children must be bored shitless.....

my goodness. :stupid:

 

[wickedestcity]

What do you think?

America is a surprising case, since it has far more people than Japan, France or the UK, but only has one city in the top 3 or 4. How about LA?

Or HK, Seoul, Osaka etc. What for instance makes Paris more important than HK or Shanghai?

i got a better question , which of these "top cities" is the bigest,most influental, most bad-ass city of em all !! now thats a compatition!

 

[Sen]

either HK is included(and probably Chicago too, America is too powerful) or Paris is out.

come on let's face it, Paris is beautiful, but how is important economically, politically? it's very important culturally though.

 

[samsonyuen]

There are as many discussions about the Top 3 (NY, London, Tokyo) as there are about the Top 4 (NY, London, Tokyo, Paris). And many about the Top 5 (NY, London, Tokyo, Paris, HK). Anything beyond that is even more speculative and less concrete.

 

[GM]

either HK is included(and probably Chicago too, America is too powerful) or Paris is out.

come on let's face it, Paris is beautiful, but how is important economically, politically? it's very important culturally though.

When I read comments like that, I think that many foreigners have a sterotyped vision of Paris. Those who have never been to Paris see this city like a small pretty village with a big Eiffel tower in the middle.
Paris is not that.
Face it, Paris is a huge megapole, it's the most populated urban area of Europe (10 millions of people live in the URBAN area of Paris, not metropolitan). The GDP of Île de France is as big as 2/3 of the GDP of the entire China.
Paris is also important politically : France is one of the five permanent memeber of the UN, France has the atomic bomb, France is one of the most influential country in the EU, etc...
London is more important than Paris only as a financial center.
But Paris is a huge city, it's not only the pretty postal card that you have in mind.

 

[rocky]

Dam im sick of people thinking paris is a village of 1million people eating baguette and wearing berets. grow up.
its a metro of 11.5 m people and the 2nd financial place in europe and the first business center in europe, with a higher GDP than AUStralia. thanks.(source wikipedia)

 

[Petronius]

^^ I totally agree. In Europe only London can stand up to Paris. It's got the highest GDP of the whole of Europe, population-wise Paris is the biggest or second biggest, depending on how you count it, a lot of International organisations have their hqs in Paris, like the OECD, or UNESCO. It's also the capital city of one of the most influential countries in Europe and the world.
Not to mention its thriving cultural life. Pariscope is published weekly and it's got like 400 pages of cultural events within THAT week. :eek2: I think only London can measure up to this, not even NYC or Tokio.

 

[Sen]

When I read comments like that, I think that many foreigners have a sterotyped vision of Paris. Those who have never been to Paris see this city like a small pretty village with a big Eiffel tower in the middle.
Paris is not that.
Face it, Paris is a huge megapole, it's the most populated urban area of Europe (10 millions of people live in the URBAN area of Paris, not metropolitan). The GDP of Île de France is as big as 2/3 of the GDP of the entire China.
Paris is also important politically : France is one of the five permanent memeber of the UN, France has the atomic bomb, France is one of the most influential country in the EU, etc...
London is more important than Paris only as a financial center.
But Paris is a huge city, it's not only the pretty postal card that you have in mind.

i admit i have never been to Paris, and id like to visit Paris someday, but i never thought of Paris as a small pretty village with a big Eiffel tower in the middle. Yes it's beautiful, yes it's a thriving metropolis, but that doesnt change the fact London is the most important city in Europe, and Europe is not important economically and politically to have two cities in the top 4, when US and Asia only have one respectively.

 

[kyenan]

i admit i have never been to Paris, and id like to visit Paris someday, but i never thought of Paris as a small pretty village with a big Eiffel tower in the middle. Yes it's beautiful, yes it's a thriving metropolis, but that doesnt change the fact London is the most important city in Europe, and Europe is not important economically and politically to have two cities in the top 4, when US and Asia only have one respectively.

The GDP of entire Asia is smaller than that of EU countries only.

 

[spyguy]

Nominal or PPP?

 

[crawford]

Dam im sick of people thinking paris is a village of 1million people eating baguette and wearing berets. grow up.
its a metro of 11.5 m people and the 2nd financial place in europe and the first business center in europe, with a higher GDP than AUStralia. thanks.(source wikipedia)

I couldn't agree more. Many Americans have a very ignorant view of Paris. They think of a fairy tale village, with Amelie, lovers, creperies and the like. They don't understand Paris is a huge, diverse metropolis that feels as cosmopolitan and important as New York or London.

Take the RER from CDG to central Paris. That trip alone will change your mind about the city.