Cities around the world are facing strains caused by massive population and economic shifts. One hundred million people are moving to cities every year and nearly 70 percent of the world’s population is expected to be urban by 2050. The top 100 cities in the world will generate 35 percent of global economic growth over the next 10 years.
But it’s clear that economic growth and opportunity won’t automatically be spread evenly across cities like peanut butter – it’s a competition and those cities that positon themselves for growth will emerge the strongest. We looked at this in a study we conducted with The Economist Intelligence Unit. There are key factors that make a city competitive, such as the strength of its government institutions, infrastructure, financial maturity, human capital and cultural institutions.
Image: Ed Skyler - Ed is executive VP of global public affairs at Citi and oversees the Citi Foundation, an underwriter for City Accelerator.
