World City Competitiveness Index

A new Brookings Institution report ranks world cities based on competitiveness.

1 minute read

February 24, 2005, 9:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


A new Brookings report examines the economic connections between the global advanced service firms of U.S. cities and other cities around the world as a way of gauging competitiveness.

"Just about anyone with even acasual interest in the geographyof the global economy couldguess that New York, Los Angeles,and Chicago are major world cities,with strong ties to other cities andregions worldwide. But what aboutother U.S. cities? How do places likeHouston and Detroit—or even Portlandand Cincinnati—connect to therest of the world? What is their placein the "world city network?" And whydoes it matter?

The importance of these relationshipsis becoming increasinglyapparent. The conditions of contemporaryglobalization have, in fact,spurred a renaissance of major citiesacross the world, and a new economicconfiguration is emerging based uponcities.2 This is not to say that states areno longer significant in their internationalrelations, but the rise oftransnational interactions hasproduced a new economic globalizationin which cities and their regionsare the prime nodes of a nascentnetwork society. In this new contextU.S. domination can no longer betaken for granted."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Wednesday, February 23, 2005 in The Brookings Institution

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 7, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

May 2, 2025 - SD News

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Pump station with blue pipes coming out of concrete wall in Seattle, Washington.

Seattle Builds Subway-Sized Tunnel — for Stormwater

The $700 million ‘stormwater subway’ is designed to handle overflows during storms, which contain toxic runoff from roadways and vehicles.

3 hours ago - City Observatory

Sign for Deschutes National Forest in Oregon.

Feds Clear Homeless Encampment in Oregon Forest

The action displaced over 100 people living on national forest land near Bend, Oregon.

5 hours ago - The New York Times

Seeing the Better City

Is This Urbanism?

Chuck Wolfe ponders a recommended subscription list of Substack urbanists and wonders — as have others — about the utility of the "urbanist" moniker.

6 hours ago - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.