London has been voted the top city in the world following the results of an internationally renowned survey published today.
The capital also won first place for the city where visitors from different cultures felt it was easy to fit in.
It’s the first time the capital has taken the top spot in the bi-annual 2013 Anholt-GfK Roper City Brands Index since it started in 2007.
For the 2013 study, a total of 5,144 interviews were conducted in Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Russia, South Korea, the US and the UK, based on people’s perceptions of 50 cities around the world.
Those polled were asked to rate 50 statements about the cities covering a number of categories.
London & Partners Chief Executive, Gordon Innes, said: “This is a very well respected survey and it really is great to see that it’s not only Londoners who know that this is the best place in the world to live, work and visit. London’s reputation is truly global and people’s perceptions of the capital are very strong and justified.”
Behind London came Sydney, Paris, New York and Rome.
The six categories covered were:
Presence – people’s knowledge of the city and perception if its global contribution in science, culture and governance.
Place – perceptions of cleanliness and pleasantness of climate and how attractive buildings and parks are.
Pre-Requisites – affordable accommodation and quality of public amenities including schools, hospitals, transportation and sports facilities
People – friendliness of inhabitants, cultural diversity and feeling safe.
Pulse – interesting events, activities and lifestyles and exciting to explore
Potential – perception as a good place to do business, find a job and go to university/college.
The City Brands Index was developed by independent policy advisor Simon Anholt who is recognised as the world’s leading authority on national image and identity.
He said: “Our City Brands Index is not just about any single aspect of a city’s image – it gives the full picture that includes the city’s social and cultural environment, its physical look and feel, its public services, educational and economic opportunities and the city’s contribution to the world.”
The following table shows the top five ranked cities on each of three People Measures.
| Friendly People | Feel Safe | Fit in With Culture | |||
| 1 | Sydney | 1 | Sydney | 1 | London |
| 2 | Toronto | 2 | Geneva | 2 | Sydney |
| 3= | Barcelona | 3 | Vienna | 3 | New York |
| 3= | Rio de Janeiro | 4 | Toronto | 4 | Los Angeles |
| 3= | Rome | 5 | London | 5= | Melbourne, Toronto |
The overall rankings for the top ten cities are:
| Anholt-GfK- Index 2013 Overall Brand Ranking: Top 10 of 50 cities | |
| 1 | London (2 in 2011) |
| 2 | Sydney (3) |
| 3 | Paris (1) |
| 4 | New York (4) |
| 5 | Rome (6) |
| 6 | Washington D.C. (7) |
| 7 | Los Angeles (5) |
| 8 | Toronto (13) |
| 9 | Vienna (9) |
| 10 | Melbourne (8) |
