Urban intelligence and diagnostics for global cities, business and place leadership.
Who We Are
Co-founded in 2008, The Business of Cities is an urban intelligence firm working with more than 100 cities and companies worldwide each year. Headquartered in central London, with partners and associates worldwide, our work helps leaders to navigate the rapidly evolving relationships between business and cities, and respond purposefully to the twin dynamics of urbanisation and globalisation.
Our 5 Core Services
- We advise on the opportunities that arise from the urbanisation of jobs, business, and capital.
- We benchmark cities and regional performance using robust comparative data.
- We provide insight for urban and metropolitan strategies, reforms, and governance.
- We support and guide cities as they build their global identity, visibility, and narrative.
- We guide leaders on future economic, spatial, and technological change in cities.
Cities, Business and Capital: We help Companies and Investors optimise the way they engage with cities
We help global businesses, urban service providers, investors and asset owners to develop strategies for growth in cities. We advise our clients on how to enhance market penetration in cities, optimise their approach to diversification, and build a strong narrative and brand alliance in and with cities. Companies we have worked with to do this include Microsoft, Capgemini, Airbnb, Blackrock, JP Morgan and Siemens.
City and Regional Benchmarking: we provide advanced comparative analysis of urban performance
We provide cities, metropolitan areas, district locations and globalising companies with unique city benchmarking services. We combine a database of more than 500 indices and benchmarks, with a customised platform of performance metrics, real-time data and perception tracking. Over the past five years we have used benchmarking intelligence to inform and advise more than 50 cities and regions spanning six continents. All of our work is designed for your specific needs - no two projects are the same.
City Leadership, Governance and Reforms: we advise on strategy, institution-building and reform processes
We help to design governance for metropolitan areas. We chair and convene advisory boards around cities’ big strategic questions. We supply a unique evidence base of customised global case studies to learn from. We work with cities across the spectrum, from Malmö to Mumbai, from Bogota to Brisbane.
City Identity, Reputation and Visibility: we help cities distil and communicate their unique DNA
We provide cities and regions with the tools to shift from short-term branding exercises towards a balanced and compelling identity and narrative. We provide analysis of external perceptions, strategies to grow visibility and confidence, and guidance on how to develop stakeholder alliances.
Examples of cities we have worked with include Atlanta, Barcelona, London, Oslo, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Sydney.
Urban Innovation, Technology and Futures: we make sense of the trends that will shape the metropolitan century
We help decision-makers in the public and private sector to make sense of the impact of economic and technological change on their development imperatives and business models.
Publications
Our team writes and publishes think pieces, benchmarking studies, peer-reviewed research, multi-volume reports, and books. We welcome invitations to commission us to write or co-create a paper for publication.