|By TAP Staff| Dubai outscores all US cities in terms of its healthcare system, the latest Cities of Opportunities report has revealed. Dubai is the only Middle Eastern city that features in the Price Waterhouse Cooper study takes the pulse of 30 cities at the heart of the world’s economy and culture.
Dubai ranked 5th in global affordability, that measures cost of living, purchasing power and corporate tax rates, behind only San Francisco, Los Angeles, Johannesburg and Toronto. Dubai was also ranked 8th as an urban gateway, replacing Los Angeles in the Top 10, bolstered by the efficiency of its airport connections to central business districts for which it ranked 1st globally.
Cities of Opportunity 6 analyses the development of 30 global cities, and through their performance seeks to add insight on the policies and actions that make cities function best. Dubai’s greatest advantage is cost-effectiveness, offering better value than most developed or emerging cities and ranking 5th as the world’s most affordable city.
Commenting on the report, Middle East Partner and Global leader of PwC’s Cities and Local Government team, Hazem Galal said, “Cities of Opportunities 6 highlights the remarkable progress Dubai has seen over the last few years, in its efforts to position itself as a global gateway and an easy place to do business. The combination of its low corporate tax rates, the proximity of its airports to business, its cost of living and quality of life mean that Dubai continues its ascent into the world’s top cities. Looking to the future to continue this upwards trend, areas the city should focus on improving include its performance in sustainability and the natural environment, as well as its educational framework.”
Globally, London turned out to be the only city to finish first in three of the 10 indicators—economic clout, city gateway and technology readiness, a category it ties with Seoul—posts the highest score for the first time, with New York coming in second. In addition, London finishes a narrow second to Paris in intellectual capital and innovation and a narrow second to Sydney in demographics and livability, both key areas for future urban prosperity.
Despite not having a top rank in any indicator, New York continues to show strong consistency across most of the categories. Rounding out the top five cities are Singapore, Toronto and San Francisco. The study shows that top ranked cities most embody the energy, opportunity and hope that draw people to city life. High performing cities also find the right balance between social and economic strengths in a world being quickly shaped by inescapable global trends.
Cities of Opportunity also highlights the increasing competitiveness of emerging cities across several key indicators. Beijing, which ranked 19th, finishes in the top three in both the city gateway and economic clout categories, while Seoul is top in technology readiness and is the only emerging city to reach the top 10 in the ease of doing business indicator. Seoul and Buenos Aires also break into the top three for transportation and infrastructure, while Johannesburg is in the top three for cost.
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