Concrete Analysis | China's cities narrow gap with West in global survey
Shanghai and Beijing's affluent set help them race up the rankings of global survey, but other factors keep them from the top slots - for now
Cities in China are catching up with their Western counterparts. In Knight Frank's 2013 Global Cities Survey, Shanghai and Beijing power up the rankings, pushing Geneva and Paris down the list.
Even Dubai is knocked down the table by the anticipation of the influence that will be wielded by the Asian behemoths.
The Global Cities Survey's four-part assessment of performance is designed to give the most rounded picture of the places that matter to the wealthy and influential. It focuses on four categories: economic activity, political power, quality of life, and knowledge and influence.
Under the rubric of economic activity we examine economic output, income per head, financial and capital market activity, and the number of international business headquarters in each city.
Broader non-economic influence is captured by our second measure, which we loosely label political power. Here, we calculate the importance of each city to global political thought and opinion, identifying where power is held and influence exercised. Our ranking includes the number of headquarters for national political organisations and international NGOs, together with the number of embassies and think tanks in each city.
Perhaps the most contentious indicator in the survey is quality of life. No two people will share the same idea of what makes for the perfect lifestyle. For some, it will come down to hip nightlife and stylish shops. For others, the most important criteria may be arts and culture, or proximity to the great outdoors.