“The city also has universities that remain at the forefront of academic research with the London School of Economics (LSE) and Imperial College leading the way in a number of fields.” Global cities remain vital to the knowledge economyįears of a mass exodus away from cities in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, driven by the move to remote working, appear to have been overstated.ĭata now points to a trend of movement away from city centres, but not away from cities entirely. “London, with the opening of the new Elizabeth line and a long-standing tube, bus and rail network, has a high standard of mass transit compared to other Global Cities,” he added. “London continues to score well on all four metrics of the Global Cities Index and the importance of transport and universities cannot be over-stated,” said Hugo Machin, a fund manager at Schroders who compiled the index. Universities, in particular, are integral to the future prosperity of a city, as highly qualified graduates earn more money and generate higher tax revenues. These factors help to attract highly paid knowledge workers and drive economic growth. The index identifies those cities with a combination of economic dynamism, world-class universities, forward-thinking environmental policies and excellent transport infrastructure.

These are economic, environmental, innovation and transport. The Schroders’ Global Cities Index aims to identify and rank the best global cities using four metrics. It also scored well for its world-class universities and extensive public transport network, which is set to expand this year with the long-awaited opening of the new Elizabeth Line. London has held on to the top spot in Schroders’ Global Cities Index for the second year running, with the UK capital scoring highly in a number of areas and being ranked first among its global peers for innovation.

What factors make london a global city