What Are The 'Fastest' Cities?

"For all the challenges cities face--congestion, crime, crumbling infrastructure, environmental decay, plus occasional issues with basic civility--they are still where jobs and youth gather, where energy begets even greater energy, where talent masses and collides. Worldwide, the pace of urbanization is only accelerating."

"There are winners in this battle for the future. We call them Fast Cities. They are cauldrons of creativity where the most important ideas and the organizations of tomorrow are centered. They attract the best and brightest. They are great places to work and live."

"What makes a Fast City? It starts with opportunity. Not just bald economic capacity, but a culture that nurtures creative action and game-changing enterprise. Fast Cities are places where entrepreneurs and employees alike can maximize their potential--where the number of patents filed is high, for instance, or where the high-tech sector is expanding."

"The second component: innovation. Fast Cities invest in physical, cultural, and intellectual infrastructure that will sustain growth."

"Finally, Fast Cities have energy, that ethereal thing that happens when creative people collect in one place."

Shanghai, New York, Chicago, Stockholm, Portland, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Sydney, and Dubai are just some of the cities on the list, which includes designations such as "Creative Class Mecca", "Green Leader", and "Urban Innovator".

Also, check out Fast Company's list of the slowest cities, and the cities that are too fast.