To visit truly great cities many travel to huge urban centres, such as London or Paris, but to experience vibrancy, culture and great development others look instead to the cities of emerging nations, such as Mexico or Indonesia. These nations have cities that defy belief; they have urban populations that are greater than many countries and are cities that bring together every strand of human existence. In short these are true mega-cities. Cities such as Mexico City, Jakarta or Shanghai all fit within this description are have been viewed as the centres of a new world order, in which emerging markets come to dominate the global economy. However hot on the back of these huge mega-cities are rival urban centres competing for regional dominance and amongst the most important are Brasilia, Brazil and Hanoi, Vietnam.
These two cities are both national capitals of countries who are climbing towards global economic superiority. Although these cities are currently overshadowed but other regional cities, such as Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Bangkok or Manila, both Brasilia and Hanoi are cities ready to take the spotlight and are important cities to watch in the future.
Brasilia, Brazil
Brasilia is certainly an interesting city within the modern world. Unlike most cities it layout and design was all pre-planned. Brasilia was not an organic city that sprawled over the hills and jungles of Brazil, instead it was the product of a select few individuals who had a vision for a new futuristic capital at the heart of Brazil.
Planned cities are not uncommon and Brasilia is only one of many famous examples which also includes Canberra, New Delhi and Cancun, all of which were founded in the 20th century. But Brasilia has surpassed all of them. It is the largest city existing today that did not exist at the start of the 20th century and its sustained growth over the century has taken the city’s planners by surprise. The capacity they had planned for has been surpassed and new areas of the city have had to be built to accommodate this population boom. However, Brasilia has not only achieved prosperity and growth but also culture and critically desirability. Unlike its Australian counterpart, Canberra, Brasilia has not become a government backwater but instead has emerged as a desirable alternative to the mega-cities of Sao Paolo or Rio de Janeiro and it is a city whose modern design has made it a UNESCO world heritage site.
But is it possible for Brasilia to become a new centre for Brazil; one that has the pull and power of its South Eastern rivals?
The city itself certainly believes in its own strengths and instead of following the path of many cities of the developing world it has shied away from industrial output and focused on Brazil’s blossoming service industry. The city, despite the government accounting for 40% of all jobs, is also becoming the national headquarters of Brazilian communications, television and finance. These are the industries that will allow Brazil to challenge the USA and Europe for global dominance and Brasilia is at the core, pushing these industries forward.
But it is not just the industries that it has encouraged, that have set Brasilia apart from Rio or Sao Paolo. Crucially it is the attitude towards its own growth that has made Brasilia a regional player. As a planned city it has always maintained a clear vision for its future and it has not allowed new growth to cloud this vision. Oscar Niemeyer was the architect behind the city and his aesthetic has rarely been compromised. The city is an homage to modern design but it has also fostered a very forward thinking vision within Brazil. Brasilia is what the nation is striving to become; it is a utopia of modern design, organised structure and strong society that has sought to lead Brazil forward. Although many have criticised this utopia and argue that it forgets the reality of the struggles many Brazilians face, Brasilia is firm in its belief that if Brazil wants to become a leading world nation it needs a capital who can provide a vision for its people and act as a core around which the nation can grow.
(Above: Brasilia’s Futuristic National Congress)
Hanoi, Vietnam
Hanoi may not be the planned utopia that Brasilia is, but the capital of Vietnam has a similar dream of being the core of a rapidly developing nation; a city that can be a symbol for the region’s growth. Hanoi may be a historic world-famous city; a city whose name resonates with a generation who lived with the Vietnam War, but as Vietnam’s neighbours rose in wealth and power Hanoi was quickly outpaced. Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur became the global cities that the world wanted to visit and invest in. They were the core of South East Asia’s growth but as Vietnam develops the importance of Hanoi is also growing.
Hanoi is the quintessential capital of a developing nation. It has seen incredible growth and has tried to have a piece of every industry going. But its industrial growth, which over the last several decades has seen growth rates at around 20%, a rate most nations round the world would be clamouring for, that has really solidified its rise. This growth in industry is not only rapid but it is varied; incorporating everything from textiles to technology and, despite the cliché being for products to be stamped ‘Made in China’, anybody looking through their possessions will notice the mark ‘Made in Vietnam’ more often. What people won’t know though is that many products, even those which are not manufactured in Vietnam, will have passed through Vietnam, in particular Hanoi. The city has become a global hub for international trade with exports rising at rates similar to that of Hanoi’s industrial growth.
Hanoi may not be carving out a niche for itself and its development may repeat what others have already done, but South East Asia is a region that can support more international global centres and even with these similarities Hanoi does have some advantages over the other leading cities. Most important is its proximity to China. Vietnam has had a volatile relationship with its northern neighbour but with regards to economics Vietnam has incredibly close relations with China and China has become one of its greatest trading partners. This has given Hanoi the edge on its rivals and with the global attention shifting to Asia over the next few decades the likelihood is that Hanoi will be seen as a critical hub for any international business.
Hanoi does have some barriers to achieving greater regional power. As already stated, South East Asia is a crowded market; there are many other cities who can provide similar and in some cases better services than Hanoi and even internally Hanoi has to compete with Ho Chi Minh City, currently Vietnam’s largest city. However with Vietnam maintaining low prices, good economic links with China and enough mystery and culture to attract visitors the world over, it is more likely that Hanoi will continue to grow and soon it will be the other cities of the region who are seeking to catch up.
(Above: The Hanoi Skyline)
Capitals of Development
Both Brasilia and Hanoi are capital cities that are looking to assert themselves in the their respective nations. For years they have been overshadowed both by other cities in the nation and around the region. However these are both cities on the rise, looking to challenge the political and economic dominance of rivals and assert their own vision for the future of the nation. In short they not only want to be the political capitals of Brazil and Vietnam, but they also want to turn themselves into capitals of development.
By Peter Banham
See Also:
Rise of New Mega-Cities (Round 1): Sporting Giants – Doha and Sochi
A Little View of the World 