Location maps of foreign TNCs as contribution to the geography of US global cities

DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2022-1-28-148-160

View or download the article (Rus)

About the Authors

Evgeny F. Kolyasev

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Geography,
Leninskie Gory 1, 119991, Moscow, Russia;
E-mail: udjinkolyasev@gmail.com

Martin E. Pilka

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Geography,
Leninskie Gory 1, 119991, Moscow, Russia;
E-mail: martinpilka92@gmail.com

Nikolay A. Sluka

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Geography,
Leninskie Gory 1, 119991, Moscow, Russia;
E-mail: sluka2011@yandex.ru

Abstract

The dynamic course of the transnationalization of the world economy necessitates the formation of a new direction of geography and cartography—corporate, and the active process of large business filialization aims to study and display the location of not so much corporate headquarters as networks of their divisions intersecting in global cities. The article presents a conceptual scheme of the study of the localization of foreign TNCs in global US cities, reveals the stages of its implementation, outlines the main results and experience of mapping the phenomenon. In total, 28 global cities of the country of different ranks and more than 4.6 thousand foreign branches of TNCs were involved in the analysis. The main source of factual information is the data of the Forbes 2000 rating and the websites of individual corporations. Based on the analysis of the data obtained using a set of methods, the scale of the presence, as well as the features of the sectoral and geographical structure of foreign TNCs in global US cities are estimated and visualized; specific models of their placement in individual agglomerations are illustrated (for example, New York, Houston and San Francisco). The map system allows a deeper understanding of the phenomenon and well reflects the increased attractiveness of global cities of the alpha group, the presence of a “division of labor” between US centers for attracting foreign companies of different functional profiles, the relative similarity of the spatial structure of foreign companies, the effectiveness of the mechanism of geographical proximity, the specifics of the priorities of TNCs when placed in the intra-agglomeration space.

The presented developments can contribute to the development of the corporate segment of research in geo-urban studies and be useful for large businesses in the selection of counterparties and branch placement sites; to adjust documents and programs to attract foreign investment and create “poles of growth”, “zones of accelerated economic growth”; for the authorities of large cities in terms of ensuring the reception of foreign business.

Keywords

transnationalization of the economy, global cities, USA, foreign corporations, sectoral and geographical structures, models of location, corporate mapping

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For citation: Kolyasev E.F., Pilka M.E., Sluka N.A. Location maps of foreign TNCs as contribution to the geography of US global cities. InterCarto. InterGIS. GI support of sustainable development of territories: Proceedings of the International conference. Moscow: MSU, Faculty of Geography, 2022. V. 28. Part 1. P. 148–160. DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2022-1-28-148-160 (in Russian)