Since I started my undergraduate studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee I have taken a close look at urban forms and the way they create a sense of place for the people that inhabit them. In late May, I arrived to the Wellington region on the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island. I immediately began to compare what I was discovering to what I knew about Memphis. It’s been 4 weeks now and here’s what I’ve learned.
2 Major Similarities
The Waterfront: The first thing I noticed about Wellington as I was flying in was its key location on a large bay that feeds into the Pacific Ocean. This has opened up Wellington as one of the key destinations for cargo shipping over the last several hundred years. Similarly, Memphis is a city defined by its proximity to the Mississippi River. For roughly 3 centuries now, boats have been brings goods, people, and prosperity to Memphis via the River. In recent years, both cities have capitalized on that waterfront to create pleasurable spaces to live, work, and play.
Business Activity: Both Wellington and Memphis host some major players in the world economic system. In Wellington, 4 businesses found on the top 100 of the Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific index are headquartered in Wellington (Alphero, GreenButton, OrbitRemix, and ENZEC). In an age where the “Creative Class” of workers is only increasing in demand, 44% of Wellington’s working population spends their days in knowledge-intensive industries. Likewise, Memphis is the corporate home to FedEx, International Paper, AutoZone, and ServiceMaster key companies on the Fortune 500. 40% of graduates from Rhodes College also choose to stay in Memphis for work, despite only 5-10% coming from Memphis originally. This kind of business activity, especially from a mid-sized global city, is only going to help these cities remain on the map for a long time to come.
2 Major Differences
The Population: Memphis is a city built and marketed as a city rich in African-American culture and heritage. The iconic Beale Street plays to just that (despite it’s predominance of white ownership). It’s population is incredibly diverse as 50.3% of people attribute Hispanic or African-American ethnic origin. On the contrary, 77% of the residents in the Wellington region are of European descent and African or Latin American persons contribute less than 1.5% of the population. It’s safe to say I will not be finding much soul food or burritos down here in Wellington. Nonetheless, persons of color have higher rates of disenfranchisement in both places and women are underrepresented in the workplace among both cities as well.
The Landscape: I mentioned the waterfront earlier which is a key feature of both cities and a key part of the economy. However, Wellington’s predominant landscape—steep hills retaining biting winds—much contrasts with the expansive farmland surrounding Memphis. Memphis is able to capitalize on this flatness through solar energy and key exports in cotton and other crops. However, Wellington is a prototype modern city in that almost all of its energy comes from wind energy harnessed by massive turbines on the hilltops.
Both Memphis and Wellington are beautiful in their own right and have much to offer their region and their country. There are certainly heaps more similarities and differences, but I feel that this covers the basics. Most importantly, both cities are culturally exciting and offer great benefits and amenities for Millennials like myself to be successful and engaged.
References for stats and data in this post:
Reflections of an Urbanist 