6F. Summary: The Indian Rim

The Indian Ocean is a specific region of the planet where I observe young cities, potential and juvenile city networks and social roles that will develop through time to create emerging markets and innovative economic forces that will compliment a global network of cities. I have focused on hypothetical trajectories and base such predictions on my scientific and professional experience. I recognize the limitations of my knowledge and emphasize that I am not married to the ideas I have put forward. I want to learn and become educated about the topics discussed in this paper. If I have demonstrated gross ignorance, I want to know where it is that my knowledge can expand and direct theories about the urban organism and the Indian Ocean towards accuracy.

Whether the nations I have discussed host globally dominant cities in the future or not they are already privileged focal points in the Indian Ocean region. No matter how you arrive at this part of the world, it is reasonable to consider it a frontier of globalisation. Thus I would like to move into the field of economics and find a suitable avenue to participate in forming, stimulating, and promoting trans-Indian relationships.

While I see the potential of the region, the limitations of my knowledge and desire to test and apply specific theories motivated this paper. Some questions of particular interest:

• What cities are dominant in the region?
• To what extent is the Indian Ocean globalised (i.e. what developmental stage)? How do we measure globalisation?
• How can Trans-Indian awareness be facilitated and promoted among governments and businesses of the region?
• What nations are willing and able to join a “Trans-Indian Union”?
• What sectors facilitate networks and relationships (i.e. government, business, academic)? How do sectors interact to facilitate networks and relationships?
• What markets will be particularly important in the next 50 years?
• How can the trends detailed in this paper be translated into Global Macro-investing?
• What is the status of the African Union? Between the South African government and the African Union, which is dominant? Which is likely to be dominant in the future?

The relationship between South Africa (Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban) and Australia (Perth, Adelaide, and Darwin) is a subject of particular interest as I regard this to be the primary ingredient of a regional social network. Additionally I would like to assess the roles of Mumbai, Dubai, Nairobi, Bangkok, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.

Figure 22: Indian Ocean and cities likely to be dominant in the region

In conclusion, I realize that in order to explore my questions and interests and determine how I can participate in this vast process I need to develop the skills, knowledge, and tools of an economist. Furthermore, I believe a unique combination of evolutionary and economic perspectives will enable valuable contributions to cities and the field of economics.