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The Global Urban Competitiveness Report – 2013
The Global Urban Competitiveness Report – 2013 is an empirical study and evaluation of the sustainable competitiveness of 500 cities around the world from regional, national and other perspectives. This one-of-a-kind resource draws on a wealth of data sources, all of which are described and assessed, and involve urban economics, geography, urban studies, regional economics and many other fields. Using a sophisticated methodology and a team of 100 researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the book not only ranks these cities but also presents a treasury of information with regard to the strengths and weaknesses of each city in relation to each other.
More Information
Critical Acclaim
Contributors
Contents
More Information
The Global Urban Competitiveness Report – 2013 is an empirical study and evaluation of the sustainable competitiveness of 500 cities around the world from regional, national and other perspectives. This one-of-a-kind resource draws on a wealth of data sources, all of which are described and assessed, and involve urban economics, geography, urban studies, regional economics and many other fields. Using a sophisticated methodology and a team of 100 researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the book not only ranks these cities but also presents a treasury of information with regard to the strengths and weaknesses of each city in relation to each other.
Included is a full discussion on the structure, trends and determinants of global urban development, prosperity and competitiveness, and comments on the policies and initiatives that are adopted by the most competitive cities. Chapters written by eminent scholars and researchers from organizations such as the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, World Bank and OECD analyze key problems in sustainable urban competitiveness. The research shows how global cities can improve their competitiveness and the analysis reveals that global urban competitiveness has increased overall, the highlight being emerging economy cities. The comprehensive and concise index system and valuation method, and stable and reliable data, provide an accurate reflection on many aspects of a city and its competitiveness.
Scholars and researchers in the areas of urban economics, planning, geography and regional economics will find the information invaluable, as will local authorities, decision-makers and economic planners in cities throughout the world.
Included is a full discussion on the structure, trends and determinants of global urban development, prosperity and competitiveness, and comments on the policies and initiatives that are adopted by the most competitive cities. Chapters written by eminent scholars and researchers from organizations such as the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, World Bank and OECD analyze key problems in sustainable urban competitiveness. The research shows how global cities can improve their competitiveness and the analysis reveals that global urban competitiveness has increased overall, the highlight being emerging economy cities. The comprehensive and concise index system and valuation method, and stable and reliable data, provide an accurate reflection on many aspects of a city and its competitiveness.
Scholars and researchers in the areas of urban economics, planning, geography and regional economics will find the information invaluable, as will local authorities, decision-makers and economic planners in cities throughout the world.
Critical Acclaim
‘This book provides a comprehensive view of global urban competitiveness, offers a useful methodology for its comparative study in different socioeconomic and territorial contexts, and is supplemented with reflections and case studies from around the world. Reading it is highly recommended to understand contemporary patterns in industrial and services location among cities, and the effects of such spatial concentration in the urban labor markets and in the quality of life of the urban population.’
– Jaime Sobrino, El Colegio de México
‘Theoretically informed contributions to this empirically rich text introduce a timely critical perspective to the urban competitiveness literature, emphasizing that the notion of competitiveness applied in economic analysis cannot be conferred simplistically on city relations. A range of environmental, cohesion, technological innovation, cultural diversity and governance alongside business and GDP empirics presented in the book points to the complexity of contemporary cities and the diversity of processes that define their distinctive roles in global networks and circuits. The book illustrates the danger of competitive interpretations of global rankings, paving the way for new research agendas focusing on fine-grained city relational analyses.’
– Kathy Pain, University of Reading, UK
‘In this report the authors present the ranking concerning the sustainable competitiveness performance in 2013 of 500 cities from all over the world.
The report not only shows the difference between the rankings of 2013 and 2011 but it also offers an extensive analysis of a huge data set on global urban competitiveness from a regional point of view. In addition the report also contains special contributions on issues related to sustainable urban competitiveness, for example green cities, institutions, world city networks and population aging. An exciting book, highly recommendable!’
– Leo van den Berg, Euricur/Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
‘This book is an updated assessment of the urban competitiveness of 500 cities in the world, based on seven indicators supported by data from the most authoritative sources. It is a valuable resource for comparing the positions of various cities in the league table of global urban competitiveness. The chapters in Part II written by leading experts of urban competitiveness and urban studies, make this book a valuable reference on the recent conceptual and methodological advancements in urban competitiveness studies.’
– Jianfa Shen, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Acclaim for previous edition:
‘If you believe that the world economy is composed of cities vying with one another for capital investment, creative individuals, and high-performance firms, then you might be curios about which cities are most successful. To find out, you will need to consult this book. . . This reference work is thorough in its coverage.’
– R.A. Beauregard, Choice
– Jaime Sobrino, El Colegio de México
‘Theoretically informed contributions to this empirically rich text introduce a timely critical perspective to the urban competitiveness literature, emphasizing that the notion of competitiveness applied in economic analysis cannot be conferred simplistically on city relations. A range of environmental, cohesion, technological innovation, cultural diversity and governance alongside business and GDP empirics presented in the book points to the complexity of contemporary cities and the diversity of processes that define their distinctive roles in global networks and circuits. The book illustrates the danger of competitive interpretations of global rankings, paving the way for new research agendas focusing on fine-grained city relational analyses.’
– Kathy Pain, University of Reading, UK
‘In this report the authors present the ranking concerning the sustainable competitiveness performance in 2013 of 500 cities from all over the world.
The report not only shows the difference between the rankings of 2013 and 2011 but it also offers an extensive analysis of a huge data set on global urban competitiveness from a regional point of view. In addition the report also contains special contributions on issues related to sustainable urban competitiveness, for example green cities, institutions, world city networks and population aging. An exciting book, highly recommendable!’
– Leo van den Berg, Euricur/Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
‘This book is an updated assessment of the urban competitiveness of 500 cities in the world, based on seven indicators supported by data from the most authoritative sources. It is a valuable resource for comparing the positions of various cities in the league table of global urban competitiveness. The chapters in Part II written by leading experts of urban competitiveness and urban studies, make this book a valuable reference on the recent conceptual and methodological advancements in urban competitiveness studies.’
– Jianfa Shen, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Acclaim for previous edition:
‘If you believe that the world economy is composed of cities vying with one another for capital investment, creative individuals, and high-performance firms, then you might be curios about which cities are most successful. To find out, you will need to consult this book. . . This reference work is thorough in its coverage.’
– R.A. Beauregard, Choice
Contributors
Contributors: M. Cointreau, L. Kamal-Chaoui, P.K. Kresl, C. Li, M. Li, Q. Li, K. Liu, W. Liu, P. Ni, B. Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, S. Sassen, P.J. Taylor, X. Wang, J. Wei, S. Wei, J. Yang, X. Yang, A. Zhang
Contents
Contents
PART I GENERAL ANALYSIS
1. Conceptual Framework and Analytical Methods
Pengfei Ni, Xiaolan Yang and Peter Karl Kresl
2. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness Index
Wei Liu, Mian Li, Jie Yang and Shaokun Wei
3. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness: A Comprehensive Analysis
Jie Wei and Pengfei Ni
4. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness: A Regional Analysis
Jie Yang and Kai Liu
5. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness and Urban GDP Per Capita
Anquan Zhang
6. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness and Urban Population Size
Chao Li
7. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness: Characteristics of Functional Centers
Qingbin Li
PART II SPECIALIZED ANALYSIS
8. The Specialized Differences: One Key Vector in Urban Competitiveness
Saskia Sassen
9. Social and Technological Innovations in the Competitiveness of Cities
Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka
10. Green Cities: Examples of Governing for Green Growth from OECD Countries
Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Margo Cointreau and Xiao Wang
11. Institutions and Urban Competitiveness – a Doing Business Perspective
Doing Business Group in the World Bank
12. The Challenge of World City Network Pattern Changes on the World City Network Analysis
Peter J. Taylor
13. Population Aging and Urban Competitiveness
Peter Karl Kresl
14. Driving Factors of Urban Prosperity: An Empirical Analysis of Global Cities
Pengfei Ni
15. Patterns of the Global Cities: Present and Future
Pengfei Ni
PART III INDEX REPORT
16. The State of Sustainable Competitiveness of 500 Cities
Global Urban Competitiveness Assessment Team
Index
PART I GENERAL ANALYSIS
1. Conceptual Framework and Analytical Methods
Pengfei Ni, Xiaolan Yang and Peter Karl Kresl
2. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness Index
Wei Liu, Mian Li, Jie Yang and Shaokun Wei
3. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness: A Comprehensive Analysis
Jie Wei and Pengfei Ni
4. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness: A Regional Analysis
Jie Yang and Kai Liu
5. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness and Urban GDP Per Capita
Anquan Zhang
6. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness and Urban Population Size
Chao Li
7. Global Urban Sustainable Competitiveness: Characteristics of Functional Centers
Qingbin Li
PART II SPECIALIZED ANALYSIS
8. The Specialized Differences: One Key Vector in Urban Competitiveness
Saskia Sassen
9. Social and Technological Innovations in the Competitiveness of Cities
Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka
10. Green Cities: Examples of Governing for Green Growth from OECD Countries
Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Margo Cointreau and Xiao Wang
11. Institutions and Urban Competitiveness – a Doing Business Perspective
Doing Business Group in the World Bank
12. The Challenge of World City Network Pattern Changes on the World City Network Analysis
Peter J. Taylor
13. Population Aging and Urban Competitiveness
Peter Karl Kresl
14. Driving Factors of Urban Prosperity: An Empirical Analysis of Global Cities
Pengfei Ni
15. Patterns of the Global Cities: Present and Future
Pengfei Ni
PART III INDEX REPORT
16. The State of Sustainable Competitiveness of 500 Cities
Global Urban Competitiveness Assessment Team
Index
