METERAny major global city has experienced a significant decline in competitiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic, as governments tightened border restrictions and imposed strict social distancing restrictions, according to the 2021 Global Power City Index (GPCI).
Whether, in the post-pandemic world of work, these global hubs will retain their ability to attract the highest caliber workers remains to be seen. But Global Power City Index 2021— produced by the Mori Memorial Foundation Institute for Urban Strategies in Tokyo — found that most major cities have adapted to hybrid work-from-home trends.
Peter Dustan, a researcher at the Institute for Urban Strategies, says that while international travel remains difficult due to COVID restrictions, many cities have begun to relax social distancing measures as COVID-19 vaccinations increase. . Some cities have also started requiring proof of vaccination to attend large events, eat in restaurants or use public transportation.
Dustan believes this year’s Power City Index, released Wednesday, is useful for comparing how cities have been affected by COVID-19. “The shape or character of urban appeal may change, but its importance in attracting new business and talent will remain,” he says.
read more: Here are the best places in the world of 2021
For example, Hong Kong, which has ranked in the top 10 every year for the past seven years, slipped to 13th from 9th in 2020. The Hong Kong government has one of the toughest COVID-19 border restrictions in the world. , with up to three weeks of mandatory hotel quarantine for travelers. The Asian financial hub also had the biggest drop in the number of air passengers, down 88%.
London remains the most attractive city, according to the Global Power City Index, but its overall score has slipped, with the report’s authors attributing the decline to both the pandemic and Brexit, which hampered its economy and global accessibility. “The fact that all other European cities increased their economic scores suggests that the UK’s departure from the EU is starting to have an impact, allowing other European cities to start catching up with London,” the institute said.
Tokyo improved its overall scores, largely due to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and improvements in work flexibility like Japan. adapts to work from home.
The Global Power City Index assesses and ranks global cities for their “magnetism” using 70 indicators in six categories: economy, research and development, cultural interaction, livability, environment, and accessibility.
Across the 48 cities tested this year, the study found that accessibility took a big hit; Compared to the year before the start of the global pandemic, the frequency of international flights between these cities decreased by almost 50%.
But the Institute for Urban Strategies reported some positive changes in all 48 cities despite fewer people moving between them: More than half of them saw an increase in co-working spaces and a decrease in work hours.
Here are the top 10 cities in the world from the Global Power City Index:
- London
- NY
- tokyo
- Paris
- Singapore
- Amsterdam
- Sedan
- seoul
- Madrid
- Carry off
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