Global Power City Index: Can Cities Keep Edge Post-Pandemic?
MAll the major world cities have experienced a significant decrease in competitiveness during the COVVI-19 pandemic, while governments tightened border restrictions and imposed difficult social distancing restrictions, according to the overall Power City 2021 (GPCI) index.
It remains to be seen if, in the world of post-pandemic work, these global poles will retain their ability to attract the most caliers workers. However, the overall Power City 2021 index – produced by the Institute of Urban Strategies of the Mori Memorial Foundation in Tokyo – most of the major cities have adapted to home and hybrid working trends.
Peter Dustan, a researcher at the Institute of Urban Strategies, says that if international trips are still difficult due to COVID restrictions, many cities have started to relax social distancing measures, as COVVI-19 vaccinations increase. Some cities have also started to demand proof of vaccination to attend major events, eat in restaurants or use public transport.
Dustan thinks that this year Power City Index, published on Wednesday, is useful to compare how cities were affected by COVID-19. “The form or character of urban attractiveness can change, but its importance to attract new affairs and new talents will remain,” he said.
Find out more: Here are the biggest places in the world of 2021
For example, Hong Kong, who ranked among the first 10 each year in the past seven years, has slipped to 13th place from the ninth in 2020. The government of Hong Kong has among the most difficult border restrictions in Covid-19 in the world, with up to three weeks of quarantine of compulsory hotel for travelers. The Asian financial center has also had the largest drop in the number of air passengers, 88%.
London continues to be the most attractive city, according to the global Power City index, but its overall score has dropped, the authors of the report attributing the decline to the pandemic and Brexit, which hampered its economy and its global accessibility. “The fact that all other European cities have increased their economic scores suggest that the EU’s UK’s release of the United Kingdom is starting to have an impact, allowing other European cities to start catching up,” said the Institute.
Tokyo has improved its global scores, largely due to the Olympic Games and the 2020 Paralympic Games and improvements in work flexibility while Japan adapts to work at home.
The overall Power City index assesses and classifies global cities by their “magnetism” using 70 indicators in six categories: economy, research and development, cultural interaction, habitability, environment and accessibility.
In the 48 cities evaluated this year, the study saw accessibility take a huge blow; Compared to the year preceding the start of the world pandemic, the frequency of international flights between these cities has decreased by almost 50%.
But the Institute of Urban Strategies reported positive changes in the 48 cities despite fewer people who moved between them – more than half of them saw an increase in co -work spaces and a decrease in working hours.
Here are the 10 best world cities of the Global Power City Index:
