Artists, musicians, architects, philosophers, scientists and writers have gravitated toward certain cities due to numerous forces such as patrons, community of artists, universities, clients, and a skilled workforce. They have been the foci where the human and material resources of civilizations have been concentrated.

Haut de pageġCities for over three thousand years have been the centers of culture and creativity.

This paper will explore the role of global cultural centers, the importance of a city’s cultural economy, and the position/potential of Istanbul within the evolving global culture. A possible candidate for one of these new cultural centers could be Istanbul due to: (1) the recent regional changes in the economic and geo-political climate and (2) its unique geographical location, being at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. Some of the driving forces behind the predominance of global cultural transmittal centers are the existence of a vibrant and substantial cultural economy, the high level of connection with the global cultural network and the character/level of capital accumulation within these cities. As the world becomes increasing more connected and different ‘geographies’ develop, it is inevitable that new global cultural centers will surface to challenge, replace or augment these existing centers. In the Fordist and Post-Fordist periods, the primary global culture transmitters have been centered in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo and London. In different eras, cities such as Babylon, Athens, Rome, London, Madrid and Paris have been highly influential in the development of world culture.

What is the role of a global city