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The Mayors of the Moment
No city globalizes on its own. But with shrewd investments and smart urban planning, a mayor can help turn a regional player into a global powerhouse. Here’s how three of the world’s top mayors are climbing the ladder:
Klaus Wowereit Mayor of Berlin (#17)
The concept of the global city isn’t lost on Klaus Wowereit. Since taking office in 2001, the popular, 55-year-old mayor of Berlin has tied his fate to rebranding the city as a glamorous, artistic model of urban renewal. And Berlin’s reputation has thrived as a vibrant, tolerant, creative metropolis under his watch. Wowereit cites the construction of a gigantic international airport, the successful 2006 World Cup, and a cultural festival called “Asia-Pacific Weeks” as landmark accomplishments. His critics claim that he focuses more on the city’s image than its crumbling infrastructure or budget shortfalls. “We are poor but sexy,” admits Wowereit. A fun fantasy it may be, but Berliners will probably only be willing to play the starving artist for so long.
Syed Mustafa Kamal Mayor of Karachi (#57)
The new mayor of Karachi is an unlikely poster child for innovative urban planning. The 36-year-old Syed Mustafa Kamal governs a city that’s more often in the news for religious violence than cosmopolitan ways. But the hard-charging Kamal is looking to change all that. He’s courting foreign investment, encouraging international ties, and boosting the city’s tourism. Kamal isn’t shy about his goals: He has said he wants to turn Karachi into the “next Dubai.” His Green Karachi project aims to plant thousands of trees in the city. No stranger to Karachi’s bare-knuckled politics, Kamal isn’t letting anything stand in the way of his grand plans: He has threatened to arrest anyone who tries to cut down the new saplings.
Wang Hongju Mayor of Chongqing (#59)
Think Michael Bloomberg has his hands full? Wang Hongju is mayor of the fastest-growing city on the planet, one whose metropolitan area is already bursting at 32 million—more than the population of Iraq. But Wang isn’t letting China’s urban revolution happen under his feet. He has been known to collect advice from citizens (for cash rewards), from mayors of sister cities such as Toronto, and even from the works of Thomas Friedman. Wang has sought heavy foreign investment, which his administration says has topped a whopping $3 billion in the past five years. In 2005, he claimed his antipoverty programs had helped 3 million Chongqing residents rise out of poverty in the previous eight years. Wang rarely shies from reporters’ questions, even about hot-button topics such as Tibet or SARS. His approach, a stark departure from Communist Chinese officials of old, has made the 63-year-old Wang the face of a new breed of Chinese mayors.
© Copyright 2008, A.T. Kearney, Inc., The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, LLC. All rights reserved. A.T. Kearney is a registered service mark of A.T. Kearney, Inc. Foreign Policy and its logo are registered trademarks owned by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company.
The 2008 Global Cities Index Chinapolis
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Chinapolis
It’s the most rapidly urbanizing country on the planet. More than 170 mass-transit systems are slated for construction by 2025. And by 2030, the country could count more than 1 billion people among its city dwellers. So, when we talk about urbanization and the ways in which cities are growing, China can’t be ignored. The statistics are staggering: While the United States has nine cities with a million or more people, China has nearly 100. Five are featured in the index (as well as Hong Kong), with Beijing topping its Chinese neighbors, at 12th place, and Chongqing rounding out the bottom, at 59th. Their mixed performances prove that even cities that develop thanks to the heavy-handed dictates of a central government can follow their own unique paths.
Beijing (#12)
Population: 11.1 million
Population in 2025: 14.5 million
Claim to Fame: China’s cultural, educational, and political capital. Host of the 2008 Summer Olympics and now home to the world’s largest airport.
Major Industries: Government, tourism, chemicals, electronics, textiles
GDP per capita: $9,237
No. of Days to Start a Business: 37
Roadblocks to Growth: Pollution, dust storms, avoiding a post-Olympic slowdown, overcrowding.
Shanghai (#20)
Population: 15 million
Population in 2025: 19.4 million
Claim to Fame: The country’s economic capital
Major Industries: Banking, finance, fashion, electronics, shipbuilding
GDP per capita: $9,584
No. of Days to Start a Business: 35
Roadblocks to Development: Danger of a bursting economic bubble, replenishing energy supplies, a slowdown in the global economy, traffic.
Guangzhou (#52)
Population: 8.4 million
Population in 2025: 11.8 million
Claim to Fame: The largest and wealthiest city in the south. An important seaport and connection to the rest of the world.
Major Industries: Automobiles, petrochemicals, electronics, telecom, shipbuilding
GDP per capita: $9,970
No. of Days to Start a Business: 28
Roadblocks to Development: Crime, traffic, wide gaps between the rich and the poor, clashes between migrants and locals.
Shenzhen (#54)
Population: 7.2 million
Population in 2025: 10.2 million
Claim to Fame: Shenzhen has seen the most rapid growth among all China’s cities. At some points in the past 30 years, it grew at 40 percent a year.
Major Industries: IT, software, construction, food processing, medical supplies
GDP per capita: $11,445
No. of Days to Start a Business: Around 30
Roadblocks to Development: Traffic, high rates of HIV/AIDS, labor unrest.
Chongqing (#59)
Population: 6.4 million
Population in 2025: 7.3 million (2015)
Claim to Fame: Often called the “Chinese Chicago,” the city is an industrial center and gateway to China’s western regions.
Major Industries: Mining, automobiles, textiles, chemicals, manufacturing
GDP per capita: $5,500
No. of Days to Start a Business: 39
Roadblocks to Development: Air pollution, potential of landslides, drought.
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