Ranking Of Cities Research Articles

Sustainable urban development policies and practices in the United States

Sustainability approaches have a special significance in terms of ensuring a long-term and balanced multi-dimensional urban development. The purpose of the study is to reveal and describe the main features of sustainable urban development in the United States in terms of urban policymaking and practical implementation. In the theoretical part of the paper, various interpretations of sustainable urban development and sustainable cities were discussed and summarized. Meanwhile, a brief description of the current state of global urbanization processes was given. Through secondary data analysis (governmental reports, descriptions of missions and target activities, legislative acts, etc.), comparison and generalization, the main actors (governmental bodies at federal level) and priorities of the U.S. urban policy with a special focus on sustainability were identified and discussed. In addition, the framework of the U.S. sustainable urban development policymaking was suggested and generalized. Different city rankings (based on sustainable development goals, green development, etc.) reveal the leading role of Pacific Coast urban areas, Washington D.C., Boston and New York City in terms of urban sustainability practices. Various urban innovations are implemented in the same and other urban areas, promoting the further development of smart sustainable city concept in the United States.

Spatialization and Analysis of China’s GDP Based on NPP/VIIRS Data from 2013 to 2023

The quality of nighttime light (NTL) data is an important factor affecting the estimation of gross domestic product (GDP), but most studies do not use the latest NPP/VIIRS V2 annual composite product, and there is a lack of China’s GDP estimation products in recent years. To address this problem, this paper studies the NPP/VIIRS remote sensing estimation method for the GDP in mainland China from 2013 to 2023. First, the remote sensing data are preprocessed, and the noise masking method is used to remove outliers. The total amount of NTL, average NTL value, and comprehensive NTL index data are extracted. Combined with the GDP data from the Statistical Yearbook, a fitting model of the GDP and NTL index is constructed. The differences between different GDP estimation models are compared and analyzed, and the optimal model is selected as the estimation model. In addition, through the optimal fitting model, GDP spatial estimation products from 2013 to 2023 are produced. Moreover, the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of the GDP in mainland China are analyzed, with a focus on the spatiotemporal variation of GDP decline regions and the changes in the GDP rankings of provinces and cities. The main conclusions include the following: (1) In the time regression analysis, the linear model MNL has a strong correlation with the GDP, with an R2 of 0.972. This model is selected as the optimal fitting model to calculate the spatial data of the GDP. (2) The spatial distribution of the GDP in mainland China is high in the east and low in the west, and it shows a characteristic of extending from the provincial capital to the surrounding cities. The connectivity between adjacent high-GDP areas continues to increase. (3) From 2013 to 2023, the GDP in most parts of China showed an upward trend, with 98.56% of pixels growing and only 0.99% of pixels declining. The declining pixels are mainly distributed in heavy industrial cities supported by fossil fuel resources, such as Ordos, Daqing, Aksu, etc. (4) Compared with statistical data, the overall difference of the GDP estimated by NTL data is not large, and the relative error is between 0.04% and 1.95%. From the perspective of the GDP ranking of each province, the ranking of most provinces is not much different, fluctuating between ±2. A small number of provinces have large ranking differences due to reasons such as dominant industries and power supply. By spatializing the GDP data of mainland China in the past 11 years, the spatiotemporal changes of the GDP within mainland China were analyzed. The research results can provide support for government economic decisions such as urban development.

The Capacities and Sustainability of Croatian Cities in Performing Municipal Services

The system of local and regional self-governments in the EU is characterized by an extremely large number of small units. The situation in Croatia, a country with only 3.87 million inhabitants, is no different. There are 576 local and regional self-government units. The basic feature of self-government in Croatia is the equal scope of authority in performing tasks, regardless of the number of inhabitants, the area they inhabit, or their ability to pursue sustainability objectives. In this paper, we analyze the capacities of performing municipal services in 127 Croatian cities and examine whether cities differ in their ability to perform public functions. Results show that cities can be grouped into three different clusters. The validity of the results on clusters was confirmed with an ANOVA, where a significant difference was found between all three clusters. Ranking cities according to the capacity for providing municipal services shows that cities with higher capacities are clustered together, implying that cities indeed differ in their ability to perform municipal services. Further, the results indicate that 80 percent of the cities belong to the cluster that consists of cities with a very low capacity for providing public services.

Analyzing world city network by graph convolutional networks

British scholar Peter Taylor constructed the World City Network by analyzing the office networks of multinational companies, enabling a network perspective on world cities. However, this method has long been hindered by data deficiencies and update delays. In this study, we utilized publicly available, real-time updated data on global routes to construct the World City Network, thereby addressing the issues of data insufficiency and delayed updates in the existing model. For the first time, advanced Graph Convolutional Networks were employed to analyze the World City Network, and we introduced GCNRank. Finally, we compared GCNRank with other centrality measures and found that GCNRank provides a more detailed representation of city rankings and effectively avoids local optima.

Business Tourism in Georgia – Reality and Perspectives

Business tourism in Georgia has been actively developing in recent years. In 2022, 6.6% of the total number of visitors was on business visits, and 6.8% in 2023. In 2023, the country received USD 4.1 billion in revenue from tourism, which is 26.2% higher than the pre-pandemic figure in 2019. With the 2022 ranking of business meetings of the world countries, Georgia ranks 64th with 18 meetings, while Tbilisi is ranked 129th in the ranking of world cities with 16 business meetings. There is a lack of halls for 1,000 people in Georgia to hold large forums. Under construction in Tbilisi, Panorama Sololak, with a capacity of more than 3,000 delegates, is expected to add the largest conference space to the city's MICE market. Over the next few years, 15 hotels of the international brand will increase the market of Tbilisi MICE with an area of 12,537 sq. m., with a total capacity of 8,485 guests. On July 4, 2024, the National Tourism Administration organized the International Prestige Forum of Business Tourism M&I Tbilisi 2024 in Tbilisi. Within 4 days, representatives of the leading European companies participated in it. The forum had about 200 participants, of which 68 foreign companies visited Georgia specifically to learn about Georgia's capabilities, its infrastructure and potential. Keywords: Business Tourism, MICE Tourism.

Evaluasi Rasionalitas Insulin Pada Pasien Diabetes Mellitus Tipe 2 Rawat Jalan di RSUD Kota Madiun Periode 2022

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia that occurs due to defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is currently a global health threat. Various epidemiological studies have shown an increase in the incidence and prevalence of DM in the world. Based on data from the profile of the East Java Health Office in 2021, it is estimated that DM patients in Madiun City rank fourth in the East Java region. . Objective: This research was conducted to determine the evaluation of the rationality of insulin in type 2 DM patients in the Outpatient Hospital of Madiun City Hospital for the period 2022. Methods: This research method is in the form of an observational research, retrospective data collection in the form of medical records of history of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients at Outpatient Hospital at RSUD Madison City. The total population in this study in the period January - December 2022 was 165 patients. Results: From the 62 type 2 DM patients who were outpatients at Madiun City Regional Hospital, it was found that 14.52% using single insulin and 12.90% used Detemir insulin. The use of the insulin combination was 85.48% and the Detemir – Aspart insulin combination was 58.06%. Conclusion: Evaluation of the rationality of insulin use showed that the correct drug was 100% and the correct dose was 93,55%.

Assessing economic landscapes: city rankings (2010–2022)

Urban assessment is crucial for understanding the dynamics of city development, identifying areas for improvement, and formulating targeted policies to enhance the quality of life for residents. This study focuses on evaluating Kazakhstan’s megacities across nine indicators grouped into financial and economic condition, business development, and living standards. Using comparative analysis and ranking methods, the study assesses budgetary allocations, population dynamics, industrial growth, and the impact of strategic investments on urban development. Drawing on current economic and demographic trends, the study examines the role of cities as drivers of economic growth and highlights the importance of addressing social and economic inequalities. Through a literature review, the study contextualizes the findings within the broader discourse on urbanization and economic development, emphasizing the need for nuanced strategies to address regional disparities. Methodologically, a rating system based on quantitative indicators from 2010 to 2022 is employed, with a heatmap visualization to illustrate city rankings across various indicators. Using aggregated data on key economic indicators, the cities were classified into three categories: high-ranking, mid-ranking and low-ranking. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of urban development in Kazakhstan and provides insights for policy formulation aimed at promoting sustainable and inclusive growth across its megacities. The city ranking analysis depicts a varied economic landscape in Kazakhstani cities. High-ranked cities exhibit robust economic performance with low poverty rates, strong average salaries, and active retail trade, hinting at promising business prospects. Mid-ranked cities show mixed performances, while low-ranked cities face considerable economic challenges, including higher poverty, lower salaries, and potential declines in trade.

Is There a Digital Rebound in the Process of Urban Green Development? New Empirical Evidence Using Ensemble Learning Methods

The convergence of digitization and greening is an unavoidable path of modern economic progress. Nonetheless, the digital economy does not consistently align with the principles of green development, potentially leading to a rebound effect in urban digitalization initiatives. To investigate the correlation between the digital rebound effect and urban green development, this study utilizes panel data from Chinese prefecture-level cities spanning from 2011 to 2019. By examining the dual impact of the digital economy on green development, the paper posits a theoretical hypothesis regarding the nonlinear marginal effect of the digital economy. This research demonstrates an inverted U-shaped correlation between the digital economy and urban green development via empirical analyses employing the random forest algorithm and partial dependency plots. It supports the existence of a moderate digital resiliency effect, which eventually reaches a state of stability rather than greatly diminishing the degree of green development in urban areas. In addition, the heterogeneity analysis reveals that the positive effects of the digital economy are more popular in cities located in the eastern and central regions, as well as in the National Comprehensive Pilot Zone for Big Data. However, these effects do not vary significantly among different ranks of cities. The mechanism test found that the information effect and the capital allocation effect are the mechanisms by which the digital economy affects green development, and there is a “U-shaped” relationship between the digital economy and information asymmetry and capital mismatch. According to the study’s results, improving the digital economy’s governance structure continues to make more sense than merely increasing the number of digital inputs.

“No woman's land?” The gendered patterning of urban street names in Romania

The gendered patterning of urban street names as part of the spatial production of broader male-centric memorial landscapes has been documented in a growing body of scholarship. Scholars from various cognate fields, such as cultural geography, gender and memory studies, and urban sociology, have unraveled the stark gender disparities favoring men inscribed into symbolic landscapes through place names, public monuments, and other memorial artefacts. This article sets out to overcome some of the limitations characterizing this strand of research – namely, the lack of statistical sophistication and the preference for case studies based on singular cities – by developing a multi-level modelling of gendered street nomenclature at the national level. The approach developed in this paper employs the complete collection of urban street names in Romania to assess the empirical adequacy of five hypotheses regarding the gendered structuring of the country's urban namescape. This analysis highlights the factors underpinning the variation of gender disparities in terms of Romania's historical regions, ethnic demographics and local ethnopolitics, city ranking within the national territorial administration and intra-urban stratification of the road network, as well as the effects brought about by postsocialist transformations.

Smart Cities in comparison: An analysis of the best Smart Cities

This research paper aims to identify the best Smart City in the world, by investigating the rankings of Smart Cities, based on its main characteristics and implemented policies. The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of what makes a city “Smart” and to highlight the successful strategies employed by the top-ranked Smart Cities. The research employs a qualitative analysis approach, utilizing thematic maps created with the QGIS software. This methodology allows for a detailed examination of various factors contributing to a Smart City’s status, including but not limited to, technological integration, sustainable practices, and citizen participation. The expected results of this study is to report and analyze the best smart cities, according to the Smart City rankings, and also to shed light on the key elements and policies that contribute to their success. These findings could serve as a benchmark for other cities striving to achieve ‘Smart’ status. Furthermore, the thematic maps will visually represent the distribution and implementation of Smart policies, providing a clear and comprehensive overview of the Smart landscape in the top-ranked cities. This research has the potential to contribute to the field of urban development and planning, particularly in the context of Smart Cities. It could guide policymakers and city planners in designing and implementing effective strategies to transform their cities into more sustainable, efficient, and livable spaces.

Sustainable urban transportation performance in Ankara: A comparative study

Urban mobility is increasing rapidly due to the increasing population, number of motor vehicles and economic developments in Türkiye. Private vehicles are given priority in ur-ban transportation policies and practices in metropolitan municipalities. Therefore, prob-lems such as traffic congestion, delays, air pollution, noise, improper land use, traffic ac-cidents and decrease quality of life are experienced. Although sustainable transportation is generally referred to with air pollution, global warming and climate change; It refers to a wide transportation structure that is sustainable in terms of economic, social and envi-ronmental effects. In this study, Ankara's sustainable urban transportation performance was compared with İstanbul, İzmir, Konya and Antalya, using the Sustainable Urban Transportation Index (SURKENT), which was previously developed by the author. In SURKENT, 15 sub-indicators are defined under 4 main indicators. The main indicators are Environmental Performance (EP), Transportation Performance (TP), Energy Perfor-mance (EnP) and Municipality Governance Performance (MGP). 4 sub-indicators were used under Environmental Performance, 7 under Transportation Performance, 2 under Energy Performance and 2 sub-indicators under Municipality Governance Performance. Minimum-maximum normalization was used for sub-indicators containing quantitative data, and 0-100 scoring was used for qualitative data. The ranking of cities with the high-est sustainable urban transportation performance was found as follows: İstanbul, İzmir, Konya, Ankara, Antalya. Ankara; it is 3rd in EP, 3rd in TP, 5th in EnP and 2nd in MGP.

Digital financial inclusion, resident consumption, and urban carbon emissions in China: A transaction cost perspective

Using data from 283 Chinese cities from 2011 to 2018, this study empirically investigates the impact of digital financial inclusion on urban carbon emissions. We conclude that digital financial inclusion significantly promotes urban carbon emissions. Moreover, as urban carbon emissions increase, the marginal effect first grows and then dwindles. A further investigation shows that digital financial inclusion significantly promotes urban carbon emissions by increasing resident consumption. Finally, we find that the impact of digital financial inclusion on urban carbon emissions is heterogeneous in terms of city size, city rank, and the commercial credit environment. In addition, digital financial inclusion has spillover effects on urban carbon emissions. It delivers positive effects on the local city while imposing significant suppressing effects on carbon emissions in neighbouring cities. The reason possibly is that digital financial inclusion in China is still in its early stage and it delivers ‘polarization effects’.

Measuring Italian art cities tourism: a proposal of indicators

In Italy, art cities have traditionally served as “magnets” for cultural tourism, significantly contributing to the country’s economic vitality. Many historic city centers are not simply “boxes” of artworks but are veritable open-air museums. In recent years, the profile of cultural and experiential visitors has increasingly oriented towards experiences that can be enjoyed individually or with family. While the traditional tourism system continues to offer conventional tourist products, it is also evolving to meet the growing demand for unique and unforgettable experiences. This represents new challenges for destination areas that seek to improve services and create attractions that can meet this emerging new audience. The objective of this work is to propose a composite indicator that measures the tourism potential of these art cities, drawing upon existing tourism indexes in the literature and equitable and sustainable well-being (BES) indicators, such as the domains of “landscape and cultural heritage” and “environment”. The decision to employ these indicators stems from their considerable relevance in a country like Italy, as well as the specific focus of our study. Additionally, we developed a ranking of Italian art cities, enabling us to determine their relative levels of attractiveness. To achieve this, a panel of Italian provincial capitals was selected, each with at least one museum and a UNESCO site. The composite indicator developed, which also considers social and environmental perspectives, represents an alternative quantitative approach to assessing the attractiveness of art cities. The underlying principle is that, in the ever-evolving scene of cultural tourism, beyond the indispensable role played by artistic and cultural heritage, the impact of scenic landscapes on people's quality of life and its connection to individual well-being plays a crucial role. This indicator could provide territorial planning professionals with statistical tools capable of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the tourism offer of those cities that set themselves the goal of being a privileged place of artistic tourist attraction. The proposed composite indicator should make it possible to comprehend whether and how to develop paths to enhance the entire artistic heritage, while also considering the well-being of visitors.

Assessing quality of life in German, French, Italian and Polish smart cities: Identifying the need for further development

The concept of smart cities has gained significant attention in recent years, as urban areas worldwide seek to leverage technology and innovation to enhance their residents' quality of life. It is agreed that one of the core objectives of the smart cities is the optimisation of quality of life and resident satisfaction. This research endeavours to explore the relationship between smart city rankings and quality of life in four European countries: Germany, France, Italy, and Poland. In doing so, we encountered a multitude of complexities and nuances. While the concept of smart cities holds great promise for urban development and enhancing residents' well-being, the current methodologies for comparing smart cities and assessing quality of life require refinement and standardization. Addressing these challenges will not only advance our understanding of the impact of smart city initiatives but also pave the way for more effective urban planning and policy decisions to improve the overall quality of life in urban areas.

Socio-economic aspects of municipal development with consideration to the urban environment quality index

The article examines the socio-economic aspects of the municipal development, taking into account the quality index of the urban environment. The authors identified problematic aspects of the municipality, and then determined the main directions that contribute to the development of comfortable life and the growth of population well-being. Thanks to these proposals, the municipality will be able to enter the ranking of cities in terms of living comfort.

From Consumption to Communion: The Ecclesial Role of Public Theologians in Cultivating a Livable City

Abstract Urbanism has become the dominant form of human dwelling, giving rise to the concept of livability, accompanied by livability indexes and city rankings. These reports provide brief bragging rights and marketing opportunities for high-ranking cities while glossing over the complex realities and inherent dangers of urban life. The issues surrounding livability rankings reveal corrupted anthropologies that prioritize the ways that one can consume a place rather than the cultivation of communities that are mutually reinforcing in their flourishing. Public theologians must work at the level of theological imagination to reclaim a vocational anthropology that places participation with God in the cultivation of community at the center of what it means to be made in the Image of God. In order to accomplish this fundamental shift, a significant and sometimes overlooked role for public theologians in the world today is serving ecclesial communities in facilitating this imagination through liturgical formation.

Enhancing risk factor evaluation for infectious diseases using decision-making approach based on linear programming

Infectious diseases are defined as the invasion of hazardous agents into the human body that causes injury and has the potential to spread to others. These diseases cause a considerable proportion of illnesses and deaths in any given community. The criteria importance through inter-criteria correlation (CRITIC) approach is used to determine the relative importance of multiple assessment criteria, whereas combinative distance-based assessment (CODAS) is a methodology used to compare and evaluate the efficacy of numerous options. The CRITIC-CODAS method is a linear programming-based tool for estimating the risks of infectious diseases. This method takes into account a number of aspects, including the disease’s characteristics, the population at risk, and the available resources for prevention and treatment. The CRITIC-CODAS technique can provide valuable insights into the possible impact of an infectious disease outbreak and aid in improving decision-making regarding prevention and control measures by assessing these elements in a systematic and quantitative manner. The purpose of this work is to provide an overview of the CRITIC-CODAS technique, which is powered by a q-rung orthopair fuzzy set (q-ROFS), and its use in estimating the risk of infectious disease outbreaks. According to the case study, the infectious disease malaria has a greater possibility of spreading in the city under observation. According to the proposed method, the ranking of infectious cities given as ℐ3ℷ≻ℐ4ℷ≻ℐ5ℷ≻ℐ2ℷ≻ℐ1ℷ. This implies that the likelihood of an epidemic of the infectious disease ℐ3ℷ is higher in the city being observed. The study also addresses the approach’s benefits and shortcomings and makes recommendations for further research and development. Overall, the CRITIC-CODAS approach appears to be a useful tool for better understanding infectious disease risks and guiding appropriate response tactics.

Will the true inclusive city rise? Mapping the strengths and weaknesses of the city ranking systems

Ranking cities is considered an effective instrument to rate and qualify the specific image of cities and encourage them to define and improve sustainable development strategies, but it has also been criticized for generating biased outcomes. Recently, the number of rankings for inclusive cities is rising, in fact along with growing investments in inclusive city projects and initiatives. The inclusive city rankings have both the strength to enhance lesson-drawing and self-improvement and the weakness to exacerbate competition among un-equals. In this article, nine different ranking systems for assessing urban inclusion are scrutinized and compared. Based on relevant theory regarding inclusive urban development and ranking systems, a methodology to compare and assess ranking systems is established, building on different quality aspects. The findings indicate that although for most ranking systems much essential information to understand how they produce results can be retrieved, motivations for generating these inclusive city rankings can be moral, utilitarian, or a combination of both, and that evaluation methods and dissemination of the results sometimes lack transparency and timeliness. Some metrics are incomplete and/or biased toward specific dimensions and indicators. The consistency across the ranking systems in producing the best-performing cities is much stronger than that of the worst-performing cities. Moreover, an obvious developed-developing gap was observed in the sense that most high performers are in Europe and to a lesser extent Nord-America, while the bottom 25 % are primarily in developing countries. Finally, suggestions are given to make methodologies for inclusive ranking systems more transparent, comprehensive and less biased.

Are Mega-Events Only for Global Cities? Analyzing Host Cities through the Global and World Cities Framework, 1990–2020

Abstract Mega-events have long been promoted as opportunities for cities to become more globalized, thereby enhancing tourism- and consumption-based economic development. But does this mega-event strategy actually work for smaller cities? This article compares the recent history of mega-event planning to cities’ ratings on the Global and World City (GaWC) ranking system, a typology for evaluating cities’ connectivity within the global economy. We surveyed 138 cities that bid on or hosted a variety of multi-sport mega-events. Competition for the most prominent mega-events is dominated by the most globalized “alpha” ranked cities, though less-globalized cities regularly bid for and host smaller mega-events. On average, hosting a mega-event has no significant effect on a city's GaWC ranking. Using a subsample of bids for the Summer Olympics, we further find that there is no specific model of mega-event planning in alpha cities: simply being a large and highly globalized city appears to be central to their success. This suggests mega-events are not a realistic mechanism for smaller and less-globalized cities to advance their global ambitions.

Ranking Cities According to Their Fundamental Power: A Comparison Among Results of Different Methods of Linear Ordering

City managers search for new concepts of city development in order to satisfy growing demands and manage risk. The research assumes that city management requires the combination of ideas of sustainable development, a smart city and resilience. These three concepts are the components of the so-called “Fundamental Power of the City”. The aim of this paper is to present and test the operationalization of the new hybrid approach to city development through the index named the Fundamental Power of the City Index which includes 80 variables. The research applies six linear ordering methods to investigate the functionality of the Index. These are used to investigate each city’s performance and compare it with other cities by ranking them according to a chosen measure. The research considers 18 voivodship capital cities of Poland. The research draws attention to different approaches of development assessment although analysis shows that most linear ordering methods produce similar rankings. Investigation shows that human and social capital factors contribute to high positions in the ranking which is consistent with the development strategies formulated by the leading cities. The results of the analysis also identify the most urgent problems of the municipalities. The research confirms that the Fundamental Power of the City concept, by including the requirements for sustainable, smart and resilient cities, fills the gaps between them and provides a holistic approach to city management.