1.
Global Catalysts
The World’s Most Innovative Cities | Past - Present - Future
Oct 2020

2.
CONTEXT – Innovative Cities
Cities are where innovation happens, where most ideas form and economic growth
largely stems. The world’s most innovative cities act as global catalysts for change.
As more cities seek to have impact, we need to understand what drives success.

3.
APPROACH – Getting Clarity
Within a mass of different views we have been applying the Innovation Leaders
approach to assess the most innovative cities in the past, the present and in the future.
Exploring multiple criteria, we have highlighted some core global catalysts for change.

4.
Structure of This Talk
This presentation shares insights: it profiles some of most innovative cities of
the past, the key elements that contribute to success, some cities having greatest
impact today, and, lastly, suggests the ten cities for future global innovation leadership.
World’s Most Innovative Cities of the Past
Key Elements of a World-Leading Innovative City
World’s Most Innovative Cities of the Present
World’s Most Innovative Cities of the Future

5.
THE TEN MOST INNOVATIVE CITIES OF THE PAST

6.
ALEXANDRIA
Home to the most significant library of ancient times as well as the Pharos
lighthouse - one of the Seven Wonders of the world - the capital of Egypt for nearly
1000 years was a leading trading centre and a hub of international shipping.

7.
AMSTERDAM
Amsterdam originated as a fishing village in the c12th and became one of the world’s
most important ports and a leader in innovative trade in the c17th. It created the world’s
first stock exchange and was the wealthiest global city for over 100 years.

8.
ATHENS
The complex Ancient Greek capital was the birthplace of democracy and centre of
learning. It attracted talent and led development across architecture, astronomy,
cartography, geometry, medicine and philosophy. The Agora was a key focal point.

9.
CONSTANTINOPLE
The capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, Constantinople was capital of the
Roman Empire from 330AD. From the c5th to c13th it was the largest city in Europe – a
centre of East-West trade, famed globally for its massive defences and its architecture.

10.
FLORENCE
The birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence was the leading hub for major developments
in commerce, patronage, art and architecture. It was also a centre for technology,
scientific, legal and civic leadership innovation with lasting impact.

11.
HANGZHOU
Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, was a major city for the Tang dynasty – one of
the ancient capitals of China. A bastion of culture during the c10th, it became a global
trade hub during the Song dynasty and then seat of the imperial government in c13th.

12.
HONG KONG
As a centre of regional trade, Hong Kong was at the fore in innovation in the c19th.
Financial prowess has been pivotal: Telegraphy enabled real-time decision making for
the global market and the city became a hub for technology transfer with China.

13.
PARIS
Reaching its peak in the c18th and 19th as a hub of finance, commerce, publishing,
fashion, science and the arts, Paris - the epicentre of the Age of Enlightenment – was
significantly remodelled by Haussmann - reducing over-crowding, crime and disease.

14.
PETRA
A major trade hub between Europe and the East for centuries, Petra’s huge 40-year
building project to create a major centre however failed to regain its regional leadership
as the Romans used economic influence to take over from the Nabataeans.

15.
VENICE
Created from scratch as a sanctuary in the c6th Venice proactively became an iconic
destination and a major centre of trade with the East. As trade declined, it became the
part of the Grand Tour for three centuries and a centre of cultural exploration.

16.
KEY ELEMENTS OF A WORLD-LEADING INNOVATIVE CITY

17.
Innovative Cities – The Key Elements
From the analysis, we see ten key criteria that have had greatest impact to date.
As urban leaders seek to address the challenges of the 21st century, these also
help to highlight which cities are the most innovative today and maybe in the future.
TenKeyCriteria
Open and tolerant society
Collaborative and supportive
Global talent magnet
Access to capital
Advancing public health
Leading centre of learning
Connectedness and influence
Flexible and adaptable
Centre of technology creation
Visionary civic leadership

18.
FLORENCE – A Closer Look
The birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence was the leading hub for major developments
in commerce, patronage, art and architecture. It was also a centre for technology,
scientific, legal and civic leadership innovation with lasting impact.

19.
FLORENCE: Collaborative and Supportive
In 100 bottegas cross-fertilization and sharing of ideas was part of everyday life.
As an apprentice at ‘Verrocchio & Co’, Leonardo da Vinci worked alongside
leading painters, sculptors and other artists for over a decade.

20.
FLORENCE: Connectedness and Influence
Florence was a hub in the cloth trade; the Florin became the standard gold coin – the
first international currency. With bases in London and Geneva, Florentine bankers
financed c15th Portuguese exploration around Africa to India and the Far East.

21.
FLORENCE: Centre of Technology Creation
Florence was a centre of excellence for scientific research. Brunelleschi’s roof for
the Duomo was considered ingenious. Galileo and co pioneered the study of optics,
ballistics, astronomy and anatomy: For aspiring scientists it was the place to be.

22.
FLORENCE: Visionary Civic Leadership
Florence’s leaders used their own version of the X-Prize to push ideas.
Designing and building the ‘Gates of Paradise’ is perhaps most famous from 1401.
The dome on the Duomo di Firenze was another major project in 1418.

23.
THE WORLD’S MOST INNOVATIVE CITIES TODAY

24.
BENGALURU
India’s leading IT hub attracts many of the world’s leading technology firms, as well as
nurturing successful start-ups. Seen as the Silicon Valley of India it boasts leading
research institutions as well as numerous aerospace / defence companies.

25.
BOSTON
Home to some of the world’s most respected universities, Boston is a global leader
in innovation, research, technology and life sciences thanks to the concentration of
human capital and quality of research institutions - including MIT and Harvard.

26.
LONDON
London has a host of leading universities with centuries of track-record, a progressive
open collaborative culture and access to capital. A city that has realigned around new
opportunities multiple times in the past is now, yet again, refocusing itself for the future.

27.
MUNICH
The Bavarian capital is a post-war German economic powerhouse and HQ for global
leaders in manufacturing and finance. A centre for universities and many international
bodies, Munich is a fast-growing city and a major destination for migration.

28.
SAN FRANCISCO
The world’s foremost innovation ecosystem continues to attract talent, business and
capital. A popular tourist destination with a very open culture, it is a global centre of
education, invention and venture capital and home to many world-leading companies.

29.
SEOUL
Home to half the South Korean population, Seoul is now the world’s 4th largest
metropolitan economy. It has built leading transport infrastructure, is a leading
technology hub and the most wired city in the world: A city constantly on the move.

30.
SINGAPORE
A magnet for talent, investment and trade that, since its independence, has looked
forward, grown its economy and provided steady improvement in public services for its
fast-evolving population that mixes people from multiple immigrant populations.

31.
STOCKHOLM
Ranked as the 2nd best ecosystem in the world for start-ups, Stockholm is HQ for a wide
range of technology firms. With highly open city governance, it has connected every
citizen to fibre and is one of the cleanest, healthiest metropolises in the world.

32.
TEL AVIV
Israel’s technology hub, Tel Aviv is a global centre for healthcare, security, green tech and
automation. Seen by some as close to rivalling California as the world’s start-up capital, it
has a strong beach culture and attracts many young nomadic entrepreneurs.

33.
TOKYO
A city that embraces its past yet continuously reinvents itself to fit the future,
Tokyo is a place literally on the edge that pushes new technology to create one of
the most connected and interconnected urban infrastructures in the world.

34.
THE WORLD’S MOST INNOVATIVE CITIES IN THE FUTURE?

35.
The Future Shortlist
From the initial analysis we identified 25 cities as potential candidates be
the world’s most innovative cities in the future. As we have continued the
research and explored these in more depth we can now detail the top 10.
Vancouver
Seattle
Toronto
Austin
Bogota
Santiago
Beijing
Osaka
Shanghai
Shenzhen
Taipei
Ho Chi Minh
Kuala Lumpur
Sydney
Melbourne
Auckland
Dubai
Hyderabad
Nairobi
Cape Town
Tallinn
Copenhagen
Cambridge
Vienna
Barcelona

36.
The 2050 View
Looking ahead, as well as existing criteria, there will be five additional issues that we
suggest will determine which global cities will be seen as the most innovative.
2050
Faster
Decarbonisation
Equitable
Growth
Safe and
Secure
Breathable
Cities
Accessible
Cities

37.
Top 10 Innovative Cities for 2050
From what we can foresee and how cities are aligning around the pivotal global trends,
there are ten cities that look to be leading the next wave of civic innovation.
1 Copenhagen
2 Melbourne
3 Vienna
4 Osaka
5 Toronto
6 Barcelona
7 Auckland
8 Shenzhen
9 Seattle
10 Dubai

38.
COPENHAGEN
With excellent transport systems, a strong environmental focus, innovative (re)use of
infrastructure and one of the lowest GINI coefficients in the world, safe Copenhagen is
targeting low NO2 and rapid decarbonisation as part of a 2035 strategy.

39.
MELBOURNE
The world’s most liveable city is affordable, healthy and, with extensive multi-modal
public transport, highly accessible. Melbourne’s start-up and innovation ecosystem is
maturing as it elevates from a tech hub for Australia to one for the Asia Pacific region.

40.
VIENNA
A pivotal centre for technology development, Vienna’s excellent infrastructure and social
systems has, once again, made it a major focal point for setting future standards.
Close cooperation between city, companies and international organisations is growing.

41.
OSAKA
Japan’s second largest city is also its economic hub. Close cooperation / experimentation
between city, universities and companies is at the fore, while major infrastructure
projects have centre stage. Its international outlook keeps it future focused.

42.
TORONTO
One of North America’s more equal and tolerant cities, Toronto is also one of its safest
and a great talent magnet. It has clear targets for 2050 decarbonisation, is rethinking
urban mobility and has become a leading centre of innovation and VC activity.

43.
BARCELONA
A city transformed into a leading service innovation hub; Barcelona is focused on being a
safer, more liveable and equitable for its citizens as well as an international talent
magnet. Independence and resilience are driving the next phase of its development.

44.
AUCKLAND
A centre of entrepreneurship for Asia Pac, Auckland’s leadership is driving the city to be
more collaborative and exploit its connectedness. Government and private sector action
is well aligned with the use of digital and data analytics integrated in the future strategy.

45.
SHENZHEN
One of China’s tech powerhouses, Shenzhen’s plans for a cleaner, more connected city
are driving a host of improvements across transportation, health and business.
Competing with Shanghai and Beijing for national leadership is accelerating action.

46.
SEATTLE
HQ for several global tech firms, Seattle is building on its reputation as the most liveable
US city. Data analysis is open for all to track progress against the key priorities for a city
government increasingly focused on setting national standards.

47.
DUBAI
One of the world’s most connected cities, Dubai has been proactive on digital and
public sector innovation. Key challenges include inequality, sustainability, a lack of
home-grown world-class universities and attracting truly leading-edge, global talent.

48.
Future Agenda, 84 Brook Street, London W1K 5EH +44 203 0088 141
www.futureagenda.org | @futureagenda