Source : Straits Times - 29 Oct 2008
Republic scores well in business and education, but fares poorly as cultural capital
SINGAPORE has been ranked as one of the best global cities in the world in a study by the influential Washington-based magazine, Foreign Policy.
The country was ranked seventh in an index of the top 60 global cities, defined as cities that radiate influence, wealth and sophistication.
It was hailed as a place to get a degree and do business, but fared poorly as a cultural capital.
The cities that finished ahead of Singapore were New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Los Angeles - in that order. But the Republic placed higher than other powerhouses such as Chicago (No. 8), Beijing (No. 12) and Frankfurt (No. 21).
The cities were ranked based on five factors: business activity levels; human capital - the ability to draw diverse groups of people and talent as well as the number of international schools and degree holders it has; cultural experience; information exchange; and political engagement.
The last two categories measure news and data distribution through various means and the degree to which a city influences global policy-making and dialogue, respectively.
On business, Singapore was cited for the large number of top-40 global service firms with offices in the country and the volume of goods that passed through here, among others.
On the list of top cities to get a degree, Singapore finished behind New York and London, but ahead of places like Boston, Los Angeles and Paris.
When it came to cultural buzz however, 36 cities, including Seoul, Shanghai and Tel Aviv, finished ahead of Singapore.
The culture rankings are based on the number of major sporting events held, culinary offerings, international travellers, museums and performing arts.
Assistant Professor Michael Netzley of the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at the Singapore Management University said he was ‘not surprised’ by Singapore’s rankings.
‘The question is, does Singapore want to be a cultural capital, given that it is already doing great overall without this, based on its business and human capital?’
When contacted for a response, the Singapore Tourism Board’s director of communications Rostam Umar said: ‘Many of the cities topping the Cultural Exchange listing are well-established centres of commerce that have a long history and have, over the years, developed organically into cultural hubs as well.
‘Compared to these cities, Singapore is relatively young.’
He added: ‘However, we believe that Singapore is on track to improve its ranking in this area with the entire city gearing up as a place for all to live, work and play.’ He cited the increasing number of leisure and lifestyle events being held here in recent years as an example of this.
The Global Cities Index, the first done by the magazine, aimed to measure ‘cultural, social and policy indicators’, not just ‘economic or financial ties’, it said.
It said the top global cities were continuously adapting to changing conditions.
‘London may be the city hardest hit by the global credit crunch, but chances are that it will leverage its abundant global financial ties to bounce back. Singapore, San Francisco and Mexico City will no doubt be taking notes,’ it added.
Foreign Policy, co-founded by noted American political scientist Samuel Huntington in 1970, is published by the Slate Group, a division of Washingtonpost.
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