Originally, the UN wanted to build an independent city for the UN, however it was too ambitious and they decided that the UN will be based in New York city. What if they decided to build an independent city? How large and important would it be?
Its size and importance would probably depend entirely on its location and how much member states were willing to spend on its construction, defence and upkeep. Its size will ultimately be governed by its resources and economy it could grow into a hub for international banking and trade or languish as an enormous white elephant almost totally dependent of the willingness of nations to fund it with only revenue of tourism and the media supplementing it.
Just to throw something into the mix, make Jerusalem an open city state with the U.N head quartered there. I'm mot sure if this would help the situation when the state of Israel is formed or make things a whole lot worse as with Soviet and American peace keeping troops securing the U.N rather than war by proxy it could trigger a hot third world war.
Returning to the O.P as with any real estate deal location is key.
Just to throw something into the mix, make Jerusalem an open city state with the U.N head quartered there. I'm mot sure if this would help the situation when the state of Israel is formed or make things a whole lot worse as with Soviet and American peace keeping troops securing the U.N rather than war by proxy it could trigger a hot third world war.
I think they basically had the US pay the Vatican to hire a Swiss brigade to expand the Swiss Guard.Didn't Tom Clancy have a book based around that concept with a Swiss Mech brigade as the defending/peace keeping force?
I wonder if Greece would have wanted to sell or rent a large chunk of Crete to the UN during its financial crisis to help its solvency.
I think they basically had the US pay the Vatican to hire a Swiss brigade to expand the Swiss Guard.
What about somewhere in an independent Quebec such as Montreal or even Quebec City itself?
And you can't really blame them for the desicon. I mean, if you're making the closet thing to a world capital building, you want a city that's large and well-appointed, and easy for international diplomats to get to , but that's also well-defended, and has a low chance of economic disaster. The US has a lot of natural resources, were just about to become THE dominant economic power since Europe's manufacturing capacity was shot, already had one of the largest militaries, and, in terms of potential for attack, having it so that just about any attacker has to cross an ocean to get to you tends to deter invaders.Basically, it was always going to be somewhere in the US Northeast. At a very early stage, it was decided not to locate it in Europe, and that almost certainly meant it would be in the US, and that meant the Northeast as the area most convenient for diplomats, as I explain at https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...n-headquarters-location.450068/#post-17472805 It's just that at first they thought it should be somewhere fairly near but definitely not in New York City...
In OTL Quebec City--where FDR and Churchill had two wartime conferences--did issue a formal invitation. https://books.google.com/books?id=BDAVCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA30 But I don't think it was ever considered seriously.
Given the state of Europe at the end the second world war the construction costs would be born to a hugely disproportionate degree by the U.S.A.
This means that the location will ultimately be chosen by the nation footing the bill, if you don't like it then you pony up and you can build it where you want.
This means that unless the U.S.A elects to pick a non American location for symbolic and emotional reasons you will have your U.N city in the U.S.
possible symbolic locations as a reminder of the consequences when the world fails to act or act too late could be
Auschwitz or Hiroshima.
It would need to be a project based on a utopian idea of a better global world view that transcends narrow national ambition.
A peace city near on at the place of the consequences when humanity fails to take an early stand against aggression and evil. An idealistic city with a commitment from all nations Never Again.
Realistically North America it is (the idealism is so improbable as to be approaching A.S.B). Returning to the O.P the significance and success of the city will wax and wane will the success and relevance of the U.N.
Dude, that would be awesomethe walled city of Kowloon.