Urban Economies and Infrastructure, Essay Example

Bangalore India portrays a high level of emerging, highly valued and intensively connected global entities within its boundaries. The high level of increased inequalities in wealth lead to this scenario and is exemplified by the electronics city complex. The offshore technology campus covering several hundred of acres that house companies such as IBM, Texas Instruments and Motorola, serves as an example of this perplexing situation. Another major presence in the electronics city is Wipro, which is an Indian firm that exploits advanced technology and uses cheap software and low-cost personnel, from India, to remotely service computers all over the world from Bangalore (United Nations Center for Human Settlement 58). The firms in this enclave are insulated from the outside world by the use of distinctive leased telephone lines and power generators. In addition, the work environment is indicative of an international style of a work environment.

Additionally, the Singaporean capital is located on the outskirts of Bangalore and provides an information technology environment that is identified with modern broadband telecommunications, and has dedicated satellite stations that power backups and offers an uninterrupted power supply, as well as water, and sanitation. The park serves as the regional hub link for the global markets. New industrial spaces for high technology innovation in Bangalore show clear evidence of the development of the urban cities from the traditional form to an intensively interconnected setup. Technological advancement and the development of technology centered hubs, which are aimed at attaining and maintaining global connectivity, identifies the emergence of a category of urban centers with high value which are connected globally. The high value of the Bangalore case is shown by the presence of successful western companies, such as IBM, and signifies that the development goes beyond the local boundaries and aims at the global market.

Another example of the high value of the Bangalore case is San Paulo, in Brazil, where fortified enclaves around Murumbi reflect the uneven patterns of investment in the advanced telecommunications market. These enclaves follow the pattern of providing high quality development and infrastructures, as well as a high standard of utilities such as with the telecommunications and interconnectivity (Graham and Marvin 316) provided that the facilities in the enclaves incorporate the concept of development of urban places. The structure and design of these enclaves continually focus on satisfying the needs of both the upper and the middle earners in the economy, while leaving out the rest of the population. The idea of this supports the withdrawal of these individuals from the surrounding environment for perceived security reasons. In addition, the project provides an integrated residential, work and consumption service from dedicated personnel, automobiles, water and energy connections, as well as for telecommunications. The enclave has also benefited from investment strategies which were developed specifically for such setups, while disregarding the public planning of water energy and telecommunications. These enclaves exhibit a high level of modern development and advancement in technological areas, which is an indication of the emergence of a highly valued and interconnected urban place. Caldeira (n.p) provides the case of San Paulo which shows the development of enclaves in urban cities. These enclaves are fortified and are seen around San Paulo, and its shows that these enclaves are set out in a manner that they are efficient, complex and skewed towards the wealthy. The enclaves have coveted amenities with luxurious facilities such as swimming pools, courts and technologically advanced features, as well as modern transport facilities. From the contrast from the surroundings of the enclaves, it becomes clear that these enclaves are highly valuable assets. The contrast between the enclaves and the surroundings, and specifically the contrast in Paraisopolis and the gated and wealthy Morumbi, sits face to face to capture the inequality in the city.

Works Cited

Graham and Marvin. Splintering Urbanism. Routledge, 2001.

Caldeira, Teresa. Worlds set apart. The London School of Economics and Political studies Dec 2008. Web. 3 March 2013. http://lsecities.net/media/objects/articles/worlds-set-apart

United nations center for human settlement. Cities in a Globalizing World: Global Report on Human Settlements. Earthscan, 2001.