HK skyline on top of the world

Hong Kong's skyline has been crowned the best in the world, beating New York, Singapore and Shanghai, but some claim the ranking is shallow because the criteria is based purely on building heights and floor counts.

Emporis, an online database of properties worldwide, compiled the list based on a points system. Every building with at least 12 floors was given a score. The best skyline, in terms of visual impact, was the city with the highest score.

A spokeswoman from Emporis said the ranking aimed to assess the 'impressiveness of skylines of booming cities around the world using an algorithm that measures the mixture of height and breadth of a skyline'.

According to the ranking, Hong Kong was by far the most impressive, with three times the points of New York City. Chicago, Singapore and Sao Paulo rounded out the top five. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Beijing and Macau were included in the top 25.

But academics and harbour activists say judging a city's skyline on height alone was a crude measurement that did not take into account the surrounding environment.

'What makes Hong Kong's skyline our icon is the fact that it is unique for more than just as a collection of high rises,' said Paul Zimmerman, chief executive of Designing Hong Kong and a member of the Harbourfront Commission.