The World's Most Global Cities

We're in an era not only of rapid globalization but also of urbanization. According to the U.N., 2008 marks the first year when more of the world's people live in cities than in rural areas. One result is that the influence of cities—in politics, business, and culture—has never been greater.

To understand how simultaneous globalization and urbanization are affecting everything from international politics to corporate behavior, management consulting firm A.T. Kearney teamed up with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and magazine on a major study of the world's cities. The results, released this month, use a variety of metrics to rank cities according to how "global" they are, and thus, how well they fare in an increasingly competitive battle to attract and retain people, capital, and ideas.