For the first time since the Mori Memorial Foundation‘s Institute for Urban Strategies began compiling its Global Power City Index in 2008, New York City fell from the top spot. Mostly due to the activities surrounding this year’s Olympics, the Japanese-based researcher found that London ranked the highest in terms of “magnetism.” New York fell to second place with the other top cities being Paris, Tokyo, and Singapore. (For a PDF of the report, click here.)
The index is designed to contrast the attractiveness of Japanese cities with other large cities around the globe. Five new cities were added to the index this year: Barcelona, Stockholm, Istanbul, Mexico City, and Washington, D.C., with Barcelona entering the rankings at number 13. The lowest-ranked cities in the index are Mumbai and Cairo.
| Rank | Total Score | |
| 1 | London | 1,453 |
| 2 | New York | 1,377 |
| 3 | Paris | 1,350 |
| 4 | Tokyo | 1,325 |
| 5 | Singapore | 1,119 |
| 6 | Seoul | 1,081 |
| 7 | Amsterdam | 1,068 |
| 8 | Berlin | 1,047 |
| 9 | Hong Kong | 1,027 |
| 10 | Vienna | 1,017 |
The GPCI ranks the cities based on six main factors: economy, research and development, cultural interaction, livability, environment, and accessibility. London held the top spot for cultural interaction, while Tokyo was the highest-ranked city for both economy and environment. Paris had the highest ranking for both livability and accessibility.
The report also notes the “continuing progress” of Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, while stating that “North American cities seem to be suffering from a downward trend and are slipping down the rankings.” New York was the only North American city in the top half of the rankings. Los Angeles fell from 13 in the 2011 rankings to 23, and Boston fell from 16 to 27. Toronto moved up from 25 to 21, the only North American city to post any gain in the index.
