Where is the power, where is the money? Where are the prospects the rosiest? At least not in German cities, according to a new ranking. It lists the most powerful cities in the world.
Photo series with 10 pictures
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The most powerful cities in the world: a ranking without any German participation. At least none of our metropolises can place itself in the top ten. At least Berlin was able to move up a few places: The capital is now in 14th place. There have been no changes at the top. New York is considered the most powerful city in the world, followed by London and Paris. But New York’s prospects for the future are falling dramatically. The ranking was created by the management consultancy AT Kearney.
The list highlights the current performance of 130 cities in five areas:
- economic activities
- human capital
- information exchange
- cultural offer
- political commitment
In addition, an outlook (City Outlook) examines how quickly and well metropolises are catching up with the top performers in four areas:
- life quality
- economy
- Innovation
- Governance
Berlin is catching up
Berlin has gained two places compared to 2018 and is now in 14th place – and thus six places better than in 2012. The capital has also improved in the City Outlook compared to the previous year and is now in 16th place.
“Berlin continues to gain international importance, but the city must continue to improve its framework conditions. The battle for top international talent in particular is becoming increasingly tough for all German cities. Both the intra-European and global city competition will continue to intensify and become a central question of location,” says Dr. Martin Eisenhut from AT Kearney.
The top ten in the power ranking
| space | city |
|---|---|
| 1 | New York |
| 2 | London |
| 3 | Paris |
| 4 | Such |
| 5 | Hongkong |
| 6 | Singapore |
| 7 | The Angels |
| 8 | Chicago |
| 9 | Peking |
| 10 | Washington, D. C. |
Die Top Ten im City Outlook-Ranking
| space | city |
|---|---|
| 1 | London |
| 2 | Singapore |
| 3 | San Francisco |
| 4 | Amsterdam |
| 5 | Paris |
| 6 | Such |
| 7 | Boston |
| 8 | Munich |
| 9 | Dublin |
| 10 | Stockholm |
Urban lighthouses needed
The German province is strong, but it needs urban beacons: “Germany’s strength is certainly its federal structure. Nevertheless, it is also important for our country to score internationally with the appeal of attractive cities and to attract investors and companies,” says Eisenhut. It is therefore important that Munich is a second German city and, with eighth place, is one of the top ten cities in the City Outlook”.
Global view shifts to Asia
London: Despite the upcoming Brexits, the British capital can hold its own in second place. (Source: Mint Images/imago images)
In a global comparison, Europe’s cities can hold their own, but they show slight weaknesses. So far, Brexit has played a minor role, although London is losing slightly in individual parameters for the first time. Nevertheless, as in 2018, London ranks second behind New York. Places three and four go to Paris and Tokyo.
The City Outlook shows a different picture. Here, London moves up from third place last year to first place, relegating Singapore and San Francisco to second and third place.
In addition to Berlin and Munich, two other German cities are also listed: Frankfurt has dropped five places to 28th place. Düsseldorf is only in the middle with 64th place. They are thus an example of a number of European cities whose overall development has tended to stagnate.
The worm is in the Big Apple
Big loser in the outlook is New York. Compared to the previous year, the metropolis has dropped by 20 places: from second to 24th place. The reasons are negative developments in quality of life, foreign direct investments, entrepreneurship, private investments and the removal of bureaucratic hurdles. But other US cities are also losing their appeal.
China’s urbanization
Shanghai: The rapid growth of China’s cities poses major challenges for those in power. (Source: Kraehn/imago images)
In 2019, too, China’s cities will become more dynamic. The 26 cities included in the index are driven by growth. Their index scores are increasing, on average, three times faster than those of North American cities and future potential is improving 3.4 times faster than in European metropolises. That’s because of urbanization: the rate of urbanization increased from 18 percent in 1978 to 60 percent in 2018. The urban population grew from 170 million to 830 million.
This in turn presents China’s government with major tasks. In the long term, it must manage to improve the quality of life and bind top workers to the cities. According to the authors, this also means giving residents and civil society a greater say if you want to be successful in the long term.
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