By Coconuts Hong Kong October 20, 2015 / 14:27 HKT
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This year's Global Power City Index placed Hong Kong seventh overall, up from ninth in 2014. The GPCI is an annual publication by the Mori Memorial Foundation's Institute for Urban Strategies which evaluates and ranks major cities based on their ability to "attract creative individuals and businesses from every continent."
So far, London has held the number one spot for four consecutive years after preparations for the 2012 Olympics boosted its "overall magnetism". Hong Kong is the fourth Asian city on the list, after Tokyo, Singapore and Seoul.
The cities are individually assessed on six main functions: economy, research and development, cultural interaction, liveability, environment and accessibility. Hong Kong performed strongly in the categories economy, liveability (take that,Liveability Ranking!), and accessibility, but was not so hot on the other three.
It's worth noting that Hong Kong's ranking for cultural interaction was lowest out of the top 10 cities, proving what literally anyone who's taken the MTR during rush hour already knows. We're looking at you, Candy Crush zombies... not that you would notice.
Another disheartening but unsurprising detail is how much Hong Kong has declined in terms of environment since the first GPCI in 2008. Coconuts HK has frequently reported on the level of local pollution being upgraded from "very high" to "serious" several times over the summer.
Related stories:
Hong Kong's liveable city ranking slips because of Occupy
Hong Kong takes #2 spot in major global school rankings
Photos: The Mori Memorial Foundation
http://hongkong.coconuts.co/2015/10/20/hong-kong-ranked-7-global-power-city-index-2015
