One of the more interesting results in the table comes from Japan. Other cities from the BRIC countries ( Brazil, Russia, India, China) come in at spots 25 (Moscow, 2.61), 35 (Sao Paulo, 2.32), 45 (New Delhi, 1.73), 46 (Mumbai, 1.69), and 49 (Rio de Janeiro, 1.60). Beijing (3.12) and Shanghai (2.78) rank 15 and 21, respectively. In seventh place at 3.90, Los Angeles nearly ties Chicago and comes in at least 13 percent higher than Singapore (3.45), Sydney (3.44), and Seoul (3.40) in spots eight through ten.Ĭities from developing countries are scattered throughout the ranking but mostly fall toward the lower end of the list. The gap between the fourth and fifth spots is even larger with Paris (5.35) outscoring Hong Kong (4.14) and Chicago (3.94) by more than 29 percent. There is a fairly wide gap between the three top global cities, with No.

(Click on the image to see a larger version.)Ī quick glance at the scores for the top 10 cities reveals a pronounced stratification of significantly different results. The chart below presents the overall global city scores for 2010 and rankings for both 2010 and the prior 2008 analysis. To the authors of the latest Global Cities Index, the combined effect and defining characteristic of these admirable qualities can be summed up in a single word, “clout.” Global Cities Index 2010 Often they soar above the hinterland around them, having more to do with each other than with their own countrymen.” In addition to the requisite international corporations and power dining rooms, global cities feature fine universities, great art and music, think tanks, and jazz bars. Instead, it is a landscape of peaks and valleys, and global cities are the peaks. When it comes to the Urban Elite, “the world is not flat.

The study is a collaboration of ATK, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and Foreign Policy magazine. Global cities are “crowded with those who are creating the future, noisy with the clash of deals and ideas, frantic in the race to stay ahead,” in the engaging words of the authors of The Urban Elite, the A.T. New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, Shanghai and others all vied for top honors in business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement. The Global Cities Index ranks 65 of the world’s most influential urban centers on five dimensions of globalization.

Alpha-level global cities