Cities bear the brunt of the worlds financial meltdowns, crimewaves, and climate crises in ways national governments neverwill. So, whenForeign Policy, A.T. Kearney, andThe Chicago Council on Global Affairs teamed up tomeasure globalization around the world, we focused onthe 60 cities that shape our lives the most.

November | December 2008 69

National governments may shape the broadoutlines of globalization, but where does itreally play out? Where are globalizationssuccesses and failures most acute? Whereelse but the places where most of humanity nowchooses to live andworkcities. The worlds biggest,most interconnected cities help set global agendas,weather transnational dangers, and serve as the hubsof global integration. They are the engines of growthfor their countries and the gateways to the resourcesof their regions. In many ways, the story of global-ization is the story of urbanization.

But what makes a global city? The term itselfconjures a command center for the cognoscenti. Itmeans power, sophistication, wealth, and influ-ence. To call a global city your own suggests thatthe ideas and values of your metropolis shape theworld. And, to a large extent, thats true. The citiesthat host the biggest capital markets, elite univer-sities, most diverse and well-educated populations,wealthiest multinationals, and most powerful inter-national organizations are connected to the restof the world like nowhere else. But, more thananything, the cities that rise to the top of the list areIST

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70 Foreign Policy

[ The 2008 Global Cities Index ]

those that continue to forge global links despiteintensely complex economic environments. Theyare the ones making urbanization work to theiradvantage by providing the vast opportunities ofglobal integration to their people; measuring citiesinternational presence captures the most accuratepicture of the way the world works.

So, Foreign Policy teamed up with A.T.Kearney and The Chicago Council on Global Affairsto create the Global Cities Index, a uniquely com-prehensive ranking of the ways in which cities areintegrating with the rest of the world. In constructingthis index of the worlds most global cities, we havecollected and analyzed a broad array of data, as wellas tapped the brainpower of such renowned citiesexperts as Saskia Sassen, Witold Rybczynski, JanetAbu-Lughod, and Peter Taylor.

Specifically, the Global Cities Index ranks citiesmetro areas according to 24metrics across five dimen-sions. The first is business activity: including the valueof its capital markets, the number of Fortune Global500 firms headquartered there, and the volume of thegoods that pass through the city. The second dimen-sionmeasures human capital, or howwell the city actsas a magnet for diverse groups of people and talent.This includes the size of a citys immigrant population,the number of international schools, and the per-centage of residents with university degrees. The thirddimension is information exchangehow well newsand information is dispersed about and to the rest oftheworld. The number of international news bureaus,the amount of international news in the leading localpapers, and the number of broadband subscribersround out that dimension.

The final two areas of analysis are unusual formost rankings of globalized cities or states. Thefourth is cultural experience, or the level of diverseattractions for international residents and travelers.That includes everything from how many majorsporting events a city hosts to the number of per-forming arts venues it boasts. The final dimensionpolitical engagementmeasures the degree to whicha city influences global policymaking and dialogue.How? By examining the number of embassies andconsulates, major think tanks, international organ-izations, sister city relationships, and politicalconferences a city hosts. We learned long ago that

[ For More OnlineSee which cities outperformed their home countriesat ForeignPolicy.com/extras/cities. [

November | December 2008 71

Kong and Singapore finished at fifth and seventh,respectively. Chicagos strong human-capital per-formance sent it into the eighth spot. Whats more,several strong performers are emerging from for-merly closed societies: Beijing (No. 12), Moscow(19), Shanghai (20), and Dubai (27). The new, some-times abbreviated, often state-led, paths to global

dominance these cities are treading threaten the oldformulas that London, New York, and Los Angeles(No. 6) followed to reach their high spots.

As diverse as they are, the most successful glob-al cities have several things in common: As NewYork proves, global cities are those that excel acrossmultiple dimensions. Even Shanghais staggering,decades-long double-digit annual economic growthalone cant make it global. The city also must deter-mine how to use that wealth to influence policy,attract the brightest young minds, and accuratelyportray the rest of the world to its citizens. Globalcities continuously adapt to changing circumstances.London may be the city hardest hit by the globalcredit crunch, but chances are that it will leverage itsabundant global financial ties to bounce back. Sin-gapore, San Francisco (15), and Mexico City (25)will no doubt be taking notes.

As the world readjusts to the fits and starts of avolatile global economy, as well as other transna-tional problems such as climate change, human traf-ficking, and fuel shortages, the Global Cities Indexwill track the way cities maneuver as their popula-tions grow and the world shrinks. Although wecant predict next years winner, the odds are goodthat New York will have to fight to stay on top.

Copyright 2008, A.T. Kearney, Inc., The Chicago Council on Global Affairs,

and Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, LLC. All rights reserved. A.T.

Kearney is a registered service mark of A.T. Kearney, Inc. Foreign Policy and

its logo are registered trademarks owned by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Inter-

active, a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company.

globalization is much more than the simple loweringof market barriers and economic walls. And becausethe Global Cities Index pulls in these measures of cul-tural, social, and policy indicators, it offers a morecomplete picture of a citys global standingnotsimply economic or financial ties.

The 60 cities included in this first Global CitiesIndex run the gamut of the mod-ern urban experience. Theresthriving, wealthy London, with itsfirmly entrenched global networksbuilt on the citys history as capi-tal of an empire. But there are alsoChongqing, Dhaka, and Lagos,cities whose recent surges tell us agreat deal about the direction glob-alization is heading and whoseexperiences offer lessons to otheraspiring global cities. The citieswe highlight are world leaders inimportant areas such as finance, policymaking, andculture. A few are megacities in the developingworld whose demand for resources means they mustnurture close ties with their neighbors and provideservices to large numbers of immigrants. Some aregateways to their region. Others host importantinternational institutions. In other words, they rep-resent a broad cross section of the worlds centers ofcommerce, culture, and communication.

THE WINNERS C IRCLE

So, which city topped them all? If anything, the resultsprove there is no such thing as a perfect global city; nocity dominated all dimensions of the index. However,a few came close.NewYork emerged as theNo. 1 glob-al city this year, followed by London, Paris, andTokyo.The Big Apple beat out other global powerhouseslargely on the back of its financialmarkets, through thenetworks of its multinationals, and by the strength ofits diverse creative class.Overall runner-upLondonwonthe cultural dimension by a mile, with Paris and NewYork trailing far behind. Perhaps surprisingly for acity known more for museums than modems, third-ranked Paris led theworld in the information exchangecategory. No. 4 Tokyo ranked highly thanks to itsstrong showing in business. And, though it finished11th overall, Washington easily beat out New York,Brussels, and Paris as the leader in global policy.

Although the winners may be the usual sus-pects, they have plenty of new competition on theirheels. Buoyed by their strong financial links, Hong

THE BEST CITIES TO GET A DEGREE1. London2. Chicago3. Tokyo4. New York5. Singapore

6. Sydney7. Boston8. Los Angeles9. Paris10. San Francisco

11. Istanbul12. Bangkok13. Toronto14. Madrid15. Moscow

16. Zurich17. Beijing18. Buenos Aires19. Mexico City20. Washington

RANKINGS BASED ON NUMBER OF INHABITANTS WITH UNIVERSITY DEGREES, NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ATTHE TERTIARY LEVEL, INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS AT THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY LEVEL, AND TOP GLOBAL UNIVERSI-TIES LOCATED IN THE CITIES.

RANKINGS BASED ON CITIES THAT ARE HQOF FORTUNE GLOBAL 500 FIRMS, CITIESWHERE THE TOP 40 GLOBAL SERVICE FIRMSHAVE OFFICES, THE STRENGTH OF THEIRCAPITAL MARKETS, THE VOLUME OF THEIRFLOW OF GOODS, AND THE NUMBER OFGLOBAL PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION CON-FERENCES HELD IN THE CITIES.

Policy HubsWhat they look like: Cities withoutsized influence on nationaland international policy debates.Their think tanks, internationalorganizations, and politicalinstitutions shape policies thataffect all people, and they tendto be full of diplomats andjournalists from somewhere else.Who they are: Washington (#11),Brussels (#13)

Lifestyle CentersWhat they look like: Laid-backcities that enjoy a high quality oflife and focus on having fun. Theyattract worldly people and offercultural experiences to spare.Who they are: Los Angeles (#6),Toronto (#10)

72 Foreign Policy

[ The 2008 Global Cities Index ]

How to Be a Global CityThere is no single correct path a city should tread to become global. But how should cities that wantto boost their international profile go about it? They could follow any of the tried-and-true modelsthat came before them. Just look at the various ways some of this years 60 global cities manage to useurbanization and globalization to their advantage.

Open CitiesWhat they look like: Large cities with a free press, openmarkets, easy access to information and technology, lowbarriers to foreign trade and investment, and loads ofcultural opportunities. They oftenrely on a heavy service industryand are outward looking, ratherthan focused on domestic affairs.Who they are: New York (#1),London (#2), Paris (#3)

National LeadersWhat they look like: Large cities that shape the collectiveidentity of their countries. They usually have homogenouspopulations, and their new urban policies tend to evoke a

shared history. They do well ininternational business, but notbecause theyre necessarilyglobally connected; in theseplaces, foreign firms can findsomething no other city offers.Who they are: Tokyo (#4),Seoul (#9), Beijing (#12)

RegionalGatewaysWhat they look like: Efficienteconomic powerhouses withfavorable incentives for business-es and easy access to the naturalresources of their region. They attract smart, well-trainedpeople from around the world, and they often must reinventthemselves to remain competitive.Who they are: Hong Kong (#5), Singapore (#7),Chicago (#8)

Platform CitiesWhat they look like: Large hubs

in typically small countries that attract huge amounts ofinvestment through their strategic locations and internationalconnections. Firms dont set up shop in these cities to investin the local economy; they move there so they can reachimportant foreign financial markets without dealing with theregions political headaches.Who they are: Amsterdam (#23), Dubai (#27),Copenhagen (#36)

THE BEST CITIES TO DO BUSINESS1. New York2. Tokyo3. Paris4. London5. Hong Kong

6. Singapore7. Seoul8. Shanghai9. Beijing10. Amsterdam

11. Frankfurt12. Chicago13. Vienna14. Madrid15. Los Angeles

16. So Paulo17. Bangkok18. Brussels19. Taipei20. Sydney P

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November | December 2008 73

TheMayors of theMomentNo city globalizes on its own. But with shrewd investmentsand smart urban planning, a mayor can help turn a region-al player into a global powerhouse. Heres how three of theworlds top mayors are climbing the ladder:

Klaus Wowereit MAYOR OF BERLIN (#17)The concept of the global city isnt lost on Klaus Wowereit. Since taking officein 2001, the popular, 55-year-old mayor of Berlin has tied his fate to rebrand-ing the city as a glamorous, artistic model of urban renewal. And Berlinsreputation has thrived as a vibrant, tolerant, creative metropolis under his watch.Wowereit cites the construction of a gigantic international airport, the successful2006 World Cup, and a cultural festival called Asia-Pacific Weeks as land-mark accomplishments. His critics claim that he focuses more on the citysimage than its crumbling infrastructure or budget shortfalls. We are poor butsexy, admits Wowereit. A fun fantasy it may be, but Berliners will probablyonly be willing to play the starving artist for so long.

Syed Mustafa Kamal MAYOR OF KARACHI (#57)The new mayor of Karachi is an unlikely poster child for innovative urban planning. The 36-year-old Syed Mustafa Kamalgoverns a city thats more often in the news for religious violence than cosmopolitan ways. But the hard-charging Kamal is look-ing to change all that. Hes courting foreign investment, encouraging international ties, and boosting the citys tourism. Kamalisnt shy about his goals: He has said he wants to turn Karachi into the next Dubai. His Green Karachi project aims to plantthousands of trees in the city. No stranger to Karachis bare-knuckled politics, Kamal isnt letting anything stand in the way ofhis grand plans: He has threatened to arrest anyone who tries to cut down the new saplings.

Wang Hongju MAYOR OF CHONGQING (#59)Think Michael Bloomberg has his hands full? Wang Hongju is mayor of the fastest-growing city on theplanet, one whose metropolitan area is already bursting at 32 millionmore than the population of Iraq.But Wang isnt letting Chinas urban revolution happen under his feet. He has been known to collectadvice from citizens (for cash rewards), from mayors of sister cities such as Toronto, and even from theworks of Thomas Friedman. Wang has sought heavy foreign investment, which his administration sayshas topped a whopping $3 billion in the past five years. In 2005, he claimed his antipoverty programs

had helped 3 million Chongqing residents rise out of poverty in the pre-vious eight years. Wang rarely shies from reporters questions, even abouthot-button topics such as Tibet or SARS. His approach, a stark depar-ture from Communist Chinese officials of old, has made the 63-year-

old Wang the face of a new breed of Chinese mayors.

THE BEST CITIES TO GET SOME CULTURE1. London2. Paris3. New York4. Toronto5. Los Angeles

6. Moscow7. Tokyo8. Berlin9. Mexico City10. Seoul

11. Vienna12. Amsterdam13. Frankfurt14. Washington15. Rome

16. Stockholm17. Tel Aviv18. Munich19. Beijing20. Chicago

RANKINGS BASED ON MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS IN CITIES, INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS, CULINARY OFFERINGS,MUSEUMS, AND PERFORMING ARTS.

74 Foreign Policy

[ The 2008 Global Cities Index ]

The BiggestBoomtownsThis year, for the first time, more people live incities than in rural areas. And, increasingly,those cities are gigantic. The United Nations counts19 megacitiesor those with more than 10 millionpeoplethroughout the world. In 2025, it expectsto see eight more join their ranks: Chennai,Guangzhou, Jakarta, Kinshasa, Lagos, Lahore,Paris, and Shenzhen.

In this years Global Cities Index, cities in richcountries overwhelmingly outperform their coun-terparts in poorer countries in cultivating globalties. Three of the top 15 cities are megacities fromdeveloped countries; six of the bottom 15 aremegacities from the poor world.

Urbanization can help cities that have alreadybecome wealthy climb higher, while anchoringdown those that have the unlucky fate of beinglocated in a poor state. Part of the problem is avicious, reinforcing cycle: The challenges any largecity faceshow to deal with sanitation, educa-tion, infrastructure, crime, and taxesare mucheasier to solve with cash in the bank and well-trained officials at the helm.

However, a few of these developing-countrymegacities are breaking out of that cycle and figur-ing out how to make urbanization translate intoglobalization, while several others teeter on the edge:

MegacitiesIn the Index: KEY:

Megacities in Developed CountriesMegacities in Developing Countries

Beijing (#12) Long in Shanghais global shadow,Beijings successful Olympic spectacle earned it

much international respect. In this years index, the city scoresas the highest-ranking megacity from a poor country. ButBeijing isnt stopping to take a breath: Among other projects, ithas announced a new bullet train to Shanghai, which, whencompleted in 2013, will be the fastest in the world.

Buenos Aires (#33) A cultural hub ofthe Americas, Buenos Aires is intent on showcas-

ing elegant design in planning the citys future. It invests$25 million each year to promote industrial design, urbanplanning, and the arts. The city has seen a constructionboom since the dark days of Argentinas debt default, and itcontinues to draw prominent engineering and softwarefirms. One problem city planners will need to solve as itswealthier population booms? Traffic.

Mexico City (#25) Deadly drug violencehas plagued the city in recent months, prompting

an anticrime rally of 150,000 people in August. Its landfillsare overflowing. And now, engineers are trying to avert aneven worse threat: Low-lying slums, the old historic district,and the citys subways could be flooded with raw sewagefrom its crumbling drainage system.

Dhaka (#56) With massive traffic jams andsewage-filled rivers, Dhaka could arguably be a test

case of a megacity gone wrong. Local papers recently report-ed that coordination between city planners was so poor thatnewly constructed roads had to be torn up because they for-got to run the water, sewer, and gas lines first. The goodnews for Dhaka: Theres likely nowhere to go but up.

November | December 2008 75

Guangzhou (#52)Population: 8.4 millionPopulation in 2025: 11.8 millionClaim to Fame: The largest andwealthiest city in the south. Animportant seaport and connection tothe rest of the world.Major Industries: Automobiles,petrochemicals, electronics, telecom,shipbuildingGDP per capita: $9,970No. of Days to Start a Business: 28Roadblocks to Development: Crime,traffic, wide gaps between the richand the poor, clashes betweenmigrants and locals.

Beijing (#12)Population: 11.1 millionPopulation in 2025: 14.5 millionClaim to Fame: Chinas cultural, edu-cational, and political capital. Host ofthe 2008 Summer Olympics and nowhome to the worlds largest airport.Major Industries: Government,tourism, chemicals, electronics, textilesGDP per capita: $9,237No. of Days to Start a Business: 37Roadblocks to Growth: Pollution, duststorms, avoiding a post-Olympic slow-down, overcrowding.

Shanghai (#20)Population: 15 millionPopulation in 2025: 19.4 millionClaim to Fame: The countrys eco-nomic capitalMajor Industries: Banking, finance,fashion, electronics, shipbuildingGDP per capita: $9,584No. of Days to Start a Business: 35Roadblocks to Development: Dangerof a bursting economic bubble,replenishing energy supplies, a slow-down in the global economy, traffic.

ChinapolisIts the most rapidly urbanizing country on the planet. More than 170mass-transit systems are slated for construction by 2025. And by 2030,the country could countmore than 1 billion people among its city dwellers.So,whenwe talk about urbanization and theways inwhich cities are grow-ing, China cant be ignored. The statistics are staggering: While the Unit-ed States has nine cities with a million or more people, China has nearly100. Five are featured in the index (as well as Hong Kong), with Beijingtopping its Chinese neighbors, at 12th place, andChongqing rounding outthe bottom, at 59th. Their mixed performances prove that even cities thatdevelop thanks to the heavy-handed dictates of a central government canfollow their own unique paths.

THE BEST CITIES TO BE A DIPLOMAT1. Washington2. New York3. Brussels4. Paris5. London

6. Tokyo7. Beijing8. Istanbul9. Vienna10. Cairo

11. Mexico City12. Buenos Aires13. Bangkok14. Berlin15. Taipei

16. Singapore17. Los Angeles18. Shanghai19. Seoul20. Chicago

RANKINGS BASED ON A CITYS NUMBER OF EMBASSIES, CONSULATES, AND TRADE MISSIONS; THINK TANKS; PARTNERCITIES; LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS WITH INTERNATIONAL REACH; HEADQUARTERS OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; ANDPOLITICAL CONFERENCES HELD IN THE CITY.

Shenzhen (#54)Population: 7.2 millionPopulation in 2025: 10.2 millionClaim to Fame: Shenzhen has seen themost rapid growth among all Chinascities. At some points in the past 30years, it grew at 40 percent a year.Major Industries: IT, software, con-struction, food processing, medicalsuppliesGDP per capita: $11,445No. of Days to Start a Business:Around 30Roadblocks to Development: Traffic,high rates of HIV/AIDS, labor unrest.

Chongqing (#59)Population: 6.4 millionPopulation in 2025: 7.3 million(2015)Claim to Fame: Often called theChinese Chicago, the city is anindustrial center and gateway toChinas western regions.Major Industries: Mining, automobiles,textiles, chemicals, manufacturingGDP per capita: $5,500No. of Days to Start a Business: 39Roadblocks to Development: Air pol-lution, potential of landslides, drought.

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For seven years, the Foreign Policy/A.T. Kearney Globalization Index measured global integrationamong states. Explore previous years findings, discover hidden success stories, and see why Singaporesurged when South Korea sank, at ForeignPolicy.com. There, you can also find complete charts andmethodology for the Global Cities Index. In The Endless City (New York: Phaidon Press, 2008),Richard Burdett and Deyan Sudjic examine the various urban challenges of six global cities, includ-ing index topper New York. In Beyond City Limits (Foreign Policy, January/February 2008),Burdett explains the vastly different ways in which urbanization is playing out around the world.

For two seminal works in the study of global urban spaces, read Saskia Sassens The GlobalCity: New York, London, Tokyo (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001) and Joel KotkinsThe City: A Global History (New York: Modern Library, 2005). Citymayors.com offers extensivestatistics about the worlds cities and their governments. Metropolis magazine and City Journalare excellent, lively sources about the ever evolving role that cities play in shaping our culture,societies, and daily lives.

For links to relevant Web sites, access to the FPArchive, and a comprehensive index of relatedForeign Policy articles, go to ForeignPolicy.com.

[ Want to Know More? ]

76 Foreign Policy

[ The 2008 Global Cities Index ]

AClean BreakEvery week, a million more people move to citiesaround the world. Its a constant, quiet migra-tion that amounts to adding the entire populationof Dublin to the planets urban landscape every fewdays. Its easy to assume that the waste, pollution,and population booms thatthis rapid urbanizationbreeds inevitably lead to dirtycities. New Delhis sewage-filled rivers and Moscowsgag-inducing air attest to that.Wealthier lifestyles meanmore waste, andmore peoplemean dirtier cities, right?

Not necessarily. Using the2007 Mercer Consultingranking of health and sani-tation around the world, wefound that the most globalcities arent the dirtiest cities.In fact, some of the biggest,most integrated cities aresome of the cleanest urbanareas on the planet. Wash-ington (11), Stockholm (24),Zurich (26), and Boston (29)rank in the cleanest top 20of 215 cities, for example.

The problem for todays developing giants likeLagos (53), Ho Chi Minh City (55), and Bangalore(58) is a matter of scale. Their populations are somuch bigger, and their resources are scarcer, thatthey dont have the luxury of decades to solve their

sanitation problems. All of which means itmay be harder for the next generation of citiesto clean up its act.

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