| People are coming from around the world, and they're seeing the greatest city on earth, aren't they. The mayor of London Boris Johnson has been bigging up the Olympic host city, as thousands of visitors arrive for the games. But is it, as he says, "the greatest city on earth"? A new report that compares the cultural offerings of 12 of the world's major cities seeks to answer that question. It shows that London has the most museums and comedy performances of the 12 cities, but that Paris comes out on top for cinemas and live music venues, New York has the greatest number of public libraries and theatres, and Istanbul has more historical sites than anywhere else on the list. The other cities featured in the report were Berlin, Shanghai, Johannesburg, Sydney, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Singapore and Tokyo. The researchers used 60 different indicators to compile the report and Richard Naylor is one of the authors. Culture is quite intimately entwined with the economic fortunes of cities and it contributes not just in terms of the actual direct amount of GDP generated by culture but also through, kind of, creating the excitement and dynamism of those cities that attracts, not just tourists, but also people who want to come and live and work in those cities. The report was commissioned for a cultural summit in London that's bringing together representatives from around the world to discuss how to create successful cities. For emerging economies, like Shanghai, Sao Paulo and Mumbai, the most salient point is that the best and brightest want to live in places with vibrant cultural sectors. And so the cafes, record shops and parks detailed in the report are not just nice things to have, but in fact essential to their city's future economic success. |
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