The idea of the isolated thinking person developing brilliant ideas in a cabin, deep in the woods, is a Thoreauvian fantasy. Humans are social beings. And it’s when we cluster together, in places like cities, that we are the most innovative and creative. Not surprisingly, with more than half of the world population now living in cities, urban areas also play a huge part in the global economy.
But the numbers are staggering. On the new Atlantic Cities website, Richard Florida hits us with some incredible statistics about the economic power of cities in the U.S. and throughout the world.
American cities account for nearly 90 percent of total U.S. economic output, and 85 percent of U.S. jobs. As Harvard’s Michael Porter recently told the Clinton Global Initiative: “There is no one U.S. economy but a collection of local economies.” Across the globe, metros with populations over one million account for more than half of the world’s economic output and nine of every ten innovations, while housing roughly one out of every five people.
So what cities are the most economically powerful? Florida developed The Global Economic Power Index to rank cities based on economic output or gross regional product, banking and financial power, and innovation (based on the amount of patenting activity).
Here’s the top 10 most powerful economic cities:
1. Tokyo (above)
2. New York
3. London
4. Chicago
5. Paris
6. Boston
7. Hong Kong
8. Osaka
10. (tie) Washington D.C.
10. (tie) Seoul
Read on for the full list.
Photo: Sprengben/Flickr
