GLOBAL CATALYSTS: THE WORLD'S MOST INNOVATIVE CITIES
In a recent article in Trend Alert, Tim Jones published the results of two years of research into which cities are the most innovative, comparing those from yesterday and today and proposing a list of tomorrow's most likely candidates.
In a recent article in Trend Alert, Tim Jones published the results of two years of research into which cities are the most innovative, comparing those from yesterday and today and proposing a list of tomorrow's most likely candidates.
Cities are where innovation happens, where most ideas form and economic growth largely stems. They are also where significant problems can first emerge and where challenges are magnified. Cities grow because they are a focus for opportunity and, as dynamic centres of commerce, culture and knowledge, they are magnets for all walks of life, frequently attracting the best minds.
From an analysis of the most innovative cities of past and present, the authors have distilled what they see as the ten most important ingredients for being a world-leading innovative city:
- Open and tolerant society
- Collaborative and supportive
- Global talent magnet
- Access to capital
- Advancing public health
- Leading centre of learning
- Connectedness and influence
- Flexible and adaptable
- Centre of technology creation
- Visionary civic leadership
Based on the above criteria, the authors identified and profiled the ten cities from the past that drove the greatest change and offer important insights on how and why they developed, evolved, drove innovation and gained global influence. They are: Alexandria, Amsterdam, Athens, Constantinople, Florence, Hangzouh, Hong Kong, Paris, Varanasi and Venice. Today's top ten most innovative cities are all leading in different ways, but share many common features. They are: Bengaluru, Boston, London, Munich, San Francisco, Seoul, Singapore, Stockholm, Tel Aviv and Tokyo.
The authors are now in the process of identifying which cities may become the most innovative in the future and have created a shortlist of 20 possible candidates, each of whichis showing potential leadership in different regions, in different ways and in different circumstances. They are: Seattle, Toronto, Austin, Santiago, Tallinn, Copenhagen, Cambridge, Vienna, Barcelona, Dubai, Hyderabad, Nairobi, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ho Chi Minh, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne and Auckland.
Interestingly, Europe can claim one in two of the world's most innovative cities from past centures but a little less than one in three of the current and future nominees. The ranking no doubt only reflects Europe's past and current standing on the world stage.
See https://www.slideshare.net/innovationleaders/the-worlds-most-innovative-cities-past-present-and-future-01-sept-2017