# The Global Cities Index 2010: Foreign Policy Magazine



## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

FP.com: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/08/11/the_global_cities_index_2010



> THE GLOBAL CITIES INDEX 2010
> 
> "We are at a global inflection point. Half the world's population is now urban -- and half the world's most global cities are Asian. The 2010 Global Cities Index, a collaboration between Foreign Policy, management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, reveals a snapshot of this pivotal moment. In 2010, five of the world's 10 most global cities are in Asia and the Pacific: Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, and Seoul. Three -- New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles -- are American cities. Only two, London and Paris, are European. And there's no question which way the momentum is headed: Just as more people will continue to migrate from farms to cities, more global clout will move from West to East.
> 
> ...


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## Bricken Ridge (Feb 16, 2008)

Sometimes we would like to believe rankings like above is true especially if it favors cities we know. However, if a tanking think tank company with a limited porfolio and a stalled growth like A T Kearney is presenting this info, it is better to stay away from this kind of garbage.


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## Vrooms (Mar 4, 2010)

^^I love these kind of lists!! Thank You!!


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Eirgh .. another potential city vs. city thread waiting to blow up.


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## pesto (Jun 29, 2009)

This one has already been beaten up on another website. Some issues that were raised (which of course can be discussed again!):

1. It was claimed that inconsistent methodology was used in determining populations of the cities, especially metro areas.
2. There is a heavy Chicago bias. Fortune 500 companies is a phony index. Overall business activity is more relevant.
3. Government is subject to double-counting. If you assume that the US and EU are about equal politically, then all the EU capitals combined equal DC. This means they are mostly near zero politically (London, Paris, Berlin a bit higher).
4. As usual, individual cities attacked each other. In particular, the Atlanta, Houston, DC, Boston, SF, Philadelphia debate continued. 
5. Someone brought up per capita income stats, which showed how far ahead of Europe and Asia the US is economically (the top 15 in income per capita were in the US, including Detroit!). This drew some amazement but surprisingly little discussion.

Just as an offhand comment, I'm surprised to see Barcelona ahead of Amsterdam.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

hkskyline said:


> Eirgh .. another potential city vs. city thread waiting to blow up.


Agreed. I give it another half a day before it explodes! :lol:


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Is this a different index than the Foreign Policy Index that got posted 2 years ago? There are dramatic differences between the two. :|


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## inno4321 (Dec 10, 2007)

Seoul was ranked no. 10!!!


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## Cobucci (Jun 30, 2005)

pesto said:


> This one has already been beaten up on another website. Some issues that were raised (which of course can be discussed again!):
> 
> 1. It was claimed that inconsistent methodology was used in determining populations of the cities, especially metro areas.


I think they have used United Nations Database as their source.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_urban_agglomerations_by_population_(United_Nations)


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## Diego N (Apr 1, 2010)

The list is quite good, but some cities doesnt seem to be SO alpha.
I dont know from where you got it, but I wont get angry to know that in any list my country has not good results! :fiddle:


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## Rail Claimore (Sep 11, 2002)

pesto said:


> This one has already been beaten up on another website. Some issues that were raised (which of course can be discussed again!):
> 
> 1. It was claimed that inconsistent methodology was used in determining populations of the cities, especially metro areas.
> 2. There is a heavy Chicago bias. Fortune 500 companies is a phony index. Overall business activity is more relevant.
> ...


Point #5 is not really a surprise to anyone who understands the economics of productivity.


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

inno4321 said:


> Seoul was ranked no. 10!!!


*
And Brussels 11 with only 1 million inhab. Pretty important city for it's size...*


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