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City of Symphony Corporation
The Office of Metropolitan Business
The Office of Metropolitan Business
The Metropolitan Corporation of Symphony is an elected and bureaucratic body representing the inhabitants of the greater Symphony Metropolitan Area, encompassing 13,754 sq km (5,310 sq mi) on the East Coast of Metropolitan Symphonia and serving approximately fifty million people. Known in short form and commonly as MetroCorp, the Metropolitan Corporation provides and maintains advanced infrastructure and human services to residents in the city, while also providing services to the main businesses located within the boundaries of the city.
The Metropolitan Corporation seeks to:
- improve the educational and health services offered to the inhabitants of the Metropolis by encouraging investment in primary, secondary, and higher education as well as primary and secondary healthcare
- improve and expand the international outreach of the Metropolis by making opportunities more attractive for mutual investment
- make the Metropolitan region among the most highly regarded business centers in the world
Symphony's Hangeng Central Business District, the heart of the financial sector of the United Kingdom of Aquitayne and the Empire of Symphonia
A Short History of Symphony - Strength in Resilience
The city of Symphony was founded in 560 ATS by Prince-Consul Akaito vi Kiramashi, during the era of the late Symphonian Republic shortly before the foundation of the modern monarchy two decades later. The governmental reorganization of the Republic into the Holy Imperial Federation turned Symphony into the center of a growing empire, as the Kiramashi Family moved the national capital from Skyview to Symphony, bringing government business as well as private investment into the region. Symphony's natural harbor, as well as its location on the mouth of the navigable Sakura River, made it a favorite for merchants seeking shelter from the seas and a market for their wares, and the wealth of the early city attracted more residents from the countryside. Massive urbanization and industrialization turned the surrounding region into a densely populated and wealthy megalopolis. By the early 20th century, Symphony was home to about forty million people, with a total nominal GDP that represented a quarter of the entire Empire's economy.
The onset of two major wars, the Great Asian War and the Seong-Kiramashi Conflict, economically ruined the city and laid waste to thousands of homes and businesses. However, the perseverance of the people and their determination to rebuild led to one of the most dynamic reconstructions in history, as civil planning removing the hundreds of winding roads and alleys, setting the stage for the rise of the modern city and skyline. The new Asian Federation government created the Metropolitan Corporation to supervise and plan new projects, melding the provincial governments of the pre-existing Latinium Province and Kaozu Province into a single entity. Thanks to excellent oversight and extensive public support, Symphony was declared completely rebuilt within a decade. Its population rebounded and has approached nearly fifty million people, making among one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world.
With such huge responsibilities, the Metropolitan Government has consistently worked to keep Symphony at the head of the pack of international cities seeking global influence as well as providing world-class services. City-wide high-speed mass transit was completed in 2011, the maglev MATs train system whisking hundreds of thousands of passengers and commuters between the districts as well as the outlying adjoining provinces within an hour. City-wide wireless connection was introduced in 2014, allowing individual residents high-speed connection from anywhere within the boundaries of the metropolis. Renovations to Li Yuanhong International Airport have allowed for direct connections to many cities in the region of Astyria, itself home to many nations with global business outreach like ViZion, the Dangish Empire (Dungeyland), Neu Engollen, Romberg, Trellin, Aquitayne, and so forth. The Port Authority of Symphony has expanded its processing and handling capacity, allowing for greater transshipment and connections to the wider region of Astyria and beyond.
Why to choose Symphony - Resources, Freedom of Choice, Excellent Opportunities
As the home to approximately fifty million people, Symphony is a city teeming with opportunity, life, and culture. The needs of so many people are constantly changing, and so even a minute change in tastes and preferences can be the start of a successful tenure as a businessperson. As a city that is connected with the world, the resources and infrastructure are already present to help a business receive the necessary support needed to get a head start at life. A large, educated populace is the foundation for successfully understanding and utilizing the latest advances in the fields of science and technology. Speedy communication, limited bureaucratic red tape, and clear and concise rules help individuals and businesses understand the rules of the game in a timely manner.
Travel and Communications
The Metropolitan Government of Symphony operates the MATS rail system, the Port Authority, and the local freight and passenger terminals at Li Yuanhong International Airport. The MATS rail transport is an integrated bus and rail network that operates throughout the metropolitan area, as well as the adjoining provinces. It utilizes maglev technology to quickly move people and freight around the area, sometimes underground or aboveground transport. The MATS system has direct connections to the Symphonica Shinkansen, the national high-speed rail that has connections to other major cities in Metropolitan Symphonia. Travel between Symphony and other cities takes place under an hour, resulting in speedy travel as well as improved connections between various parts of the island.
The Port Authority and Li Yuanhong Intl' Airport serve as part of Symphony's connections to the globe. The Port of Symphony is one of the largest transshipment centers in the region of Astyria, being able to quickly and efficiently move goods due to the central geographic position of the city in relation to the region. Expansion of the port's processing and handling capacity has allowed more freight to be transported in a shorter amount of time, keeping schedules on time and managers happy. Likewise, Li Yuanhong Intl' Airport benefits from the same advantages, however enjoys additional advantages from partnerships with regional and international carriers.
Low Cost of Operations and a Large Market
As in any crowded and famed city, the cost of living for the people, as well as the cost of operations for businesses, is considerable. However, the Metropolitan Government actively works to reduce other expenses, for example like utilities, transport, taxes and fees. The introduction of cheap and easy to maintain solar power and wind power generators has allowed the Metropolitan Government to phase out its expensive nuclear power and coal power plants, reducing the cost of electricity. Company insurance plans, which are required by AFN law to be provided for all employees, are partially subsidized by the Metropolitan Government. Sales taxes, permit fees, as well as other financial obligations normally applicable in urban settings have been reduced to such levels that the entire metropolitan area can be almost considered a free-trade zone. By virtue of its population, Symphony can be considered an important market for foreign and domestic companies, its allure only increased as the prime gateway to the rest of the AFN.
Creative, Sound Governance, Strong Legal System
The Metropolitan Corporation of Symphony is a democratically elected body composed of 13 representatives from each city district and two permanent board members, one of which is a member of the Imperial House of Kiramashi. District representatives are elected to their positions every 2 years, and represent and lobby for the needs of their constituents. The permanent board members are almost always a member of the Imperial House of Kiramashi as well as either the Prince of Latinium, or the Marquis of Kaozu, whose tenures are exchanged annually. While voting powers are exclusively in the hands of district representatives, the permanent board members carry out legislation passed by the representatives and head the bureaucratic and executive functions of the Metropolitan Corporation.
MetroCorp works to ensure that the Metropolis of Symphony remains a place where the creative, talented entrepreneurial spirit can find its roots and grow. Partnerships with private organizations and corporations allow for new ideas to be presented to our Board, and its members consistently work hard to make sure the Metropolis can adopt the latest changes and advances to make sure that residents and businesses alike can enjoy ease every day.
Common interest in keeping Symphony a viable center for business has meant the development of strong and rigorous anti-corruption laws, low tax policies, an independent judiciary, and a government that answers directly to the Symphonian/UK monarchy as an autonomous entity rather than a mere province of the Empire of Symphonia, subject to politics in the AFN legislature. The Metropolitan Corporation makes a point of avoiding public debt as well as accumulating foreign reserves as part of ensuring economic stability.
(Left) An average street at night in the Outer City, (Center) Hamasaka Government District, (Right) Hangeng District at night
The Metropolitan Board
Permanent Board Members
Governor-Director of MetroCorp
Lee Myung-han, Marquis of Kaozu
Lee Myung-han is the current Board Chairman and chief executive for the Metropolis of Symphony. Born as a Korean Cheonsan in Daehan as the first son to the previous Marquis, Myung-han attended Imperial Latinium University as an Economics major before entering the banking industry. He joined the Imperial Bank of Symphonia and became its CEO and Board Chairman after 20 years of work in its Investment division, serving through its restructuring phases before finally revamping the entire company that has made it among the more successful financial institutions on the international scene. He was appointed to the position of Governor-Director of the Metropolis by Empress Seondeok vi Kiramashi due to his previous experience as part of bringing a new face to Symphonia's foreign businesses, and is in the process of making the Metropolis more business friendly.
