Mumbai is 45th, New York tops global cities list

Mumbai is 45th, New York tops global cities list

Study looks at the sway a city has over what happens beyond its borders

 

 

New Delhi: Mumbai and New Delhi occupy the 46th and 45th positions, while Kolkata is placed at 63rd spot in a ranking of 65 global cities. New York, London and Tokyo top the list, according to the survey.

Karachi, the only Pakistani metropolis was ranked 60, Dhaka was placed at 64 while Beijing — which has suddenly caught the imagination of the world by hosting the Olympics — has been ranked 15th.

"The 21st century will not be dominated by America or China, Brazil or India, but by the city," said the report released by the Foreign Policy magazine in collaboration with A T Kearney and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

"Asia now boasts half of the top 10 most global cities (though New York and London still rule). But many of the fastest-growing places are far down on the list, proving the point that it's a lot easier to grow big than it is to grow smart," the magazine said.

Paris and Hong Kong have been ranked fourth and fifth respectively, while Chicago has been placed at sixth spot, followed by Los Angeles (7), Singapore (8), Sydney (9), Seoul (10), Brussels (11), San Francisco (12), Washington (13) and Toronto (14).

"So what makes a Global City? Not size alone, that's for sure. Many of the world's largest megalopolises, such as Karachi (60), Lagos (59) and Kolkata (63) barely make the list. Instead, the index aims to measure how much sway a city has over what happens beyond its own borders — its influence on and integration with global markets, culture, and innovation," the report said.

The seats of traditional political power aren't necessarily the most global. Only four of the top 10 cities are national capitals. Washington comes in at No 13. Beijing (15) edges out Berlin (16), which trounces Moscow (25), it said.

"Two of the top 10 global cities are laws unto themselves, operating outside the jurisdiction of a separate national government (Hong Kong and Singapore). The sun set a half century ago on the British Empire, and yet London continues to shine at No2 for now," it added.