This reflects the fact that many cities that have high economic levels (in average terms), at the same time are more inequitable and unequal, which can lead to problems between different strata in society.

However, all three cities are still grappling with the issue of social cohesion and place in the bottom of the ranking on this measure. Meanwhile Paris, the city with the second-highest number of international tourists, is first for international outreach and first for Mobility and Transportation, thanks to its metro system, bike sharing system and high-speed trains. London, in second place, is best for human capital thanks to its high numbers of quality business schools and universities.

New York is in first place overall due to its position as the world’s most important economic center, ranking first in this dimension, and is also top for urban planning. Here New York, London and Paris have done well because all three score highly across nearly all the criteria used in the index. After all, it is not much good having an environmentally friendly city if crime & unemployment is so high no one wants to live there.

While most smart cities rankings are focused solely on the use of smart technology or specific measures of environmental sustainability, to perform well on this index a city must perform well across a number of different elements.

Global city gdp ranking 2018