DUBAI 21 October 2018: London, New York, Tokyo and Paris were named the world’s most comprehensively attractive cities, in that order, in the Global Power City Index (GPCI) 2018 report.
But where did Dubai – and other cities of interest to residents of the Gulf figure in the report published by The Mori Memorial Foundation’s Institute for Urban Strategies?
The annual GPCI report has ranked 44 major cities in terms of ‘magnetism’, or overall power to attract creative individuals and enterprises from around the world, since 2008. Cities are rated in terms of 70 indicators in six categories: Economy, R&D, Cultural Interaction, Livability, Environment and Accessibility.
The Top-10
Dubai came in at 29th and the top-most in the Arab world, while the top four cities remained unchanged from last year, with London, New York, Tokyo and Paris maintaining their respective one-through-four positions.
Singapore (#5), traditionally strong in Economic Freedom, Corporate Tax Rate, and International Conferences, now ranks first globally in Employee Life Satisfaction and first in Asia for its Startup Environment. Improvements in Number of Foreign Visitors and high scores in Number of Foreign Residents established Singapore as Asia’s leading international business hub.
Amsterdam (#6) continues to be ranked favorably as a supportive, tech-ready city for business. The city was first in ICT Readiness and eighth in Startup Environment, and was evaluated as offering a high quality of life, including ranking second in Employee Life Satisfaction behind only Singapore. Amsterdam, along with nearby Frankfurt (#15), also gained a high rank in Accessibility (6th overall).
Seoul (#7) once again scored highly in Research and Development, third in Number of Researchers, fifth in Research and Development Expenditure, and second in Number of Patents. In the Environment category, it led all Asian cities in Commitment to Climate Action (14th overall) and Waste Recycle Rate (1st overall).
Berlin (#8) achieved the top ranking in Livability as well as sixth overall in Cultural Interaction for its abundant opportunities in this category. Berlin possesses strengths in Environment, leading Europe (fourth overall) in Waste Recycle Rate and first among the top 10 (fifth overall) in Green Coverage.
Hong Kong (#9) was fifth overall in the Economy category. Business-friendly policies placed the city first in Economic Freedom and second in Corporate Tax Rate. Thanks to its well-functioning port, Hong Kong was first in International Freight Flows. It was also first in Asia (third overall) in World’s Top Universities.
Sydney (#10) scores fifth in Economic Freedom and seventh in Variety of Workplace Options. It also excelled in Environment, ranking first among the GPCI top 10. Its excellent air quality was rated first in SO2 and NO2 Density and fourth in SPM Density. Sydney was also sixth in Commitment to Climate Action.
Expat Cities
Of interest to Chinese expats is that Beijing came in at No. 23 and Shanghai at 26.
Dubai was the No. 1 in Middle East and North Africa (Mena) and 29th globally – but ahead of the likes of other key business cities such as Geneva and Milan. Apart from Cair, it was the only city featured in the Global Power City Index.
In terms of Economy, Dubai ranked 17th globally.
Out of the 44 cities ranked, Mumbai came in at 43rd and Cairo at 44th.
