Critical performance factors for large world cities - In search of qualitative causal patterns by means of rough set analysis

• In the currently emerging ‘urban century’, large cities and urban agglomerations are increasingly turning into (socio-)economic and political powerhouses of world-wide importance. This paper offers a comparative assessment of the multidimensional performance profile of major cities in our world, with particular emphasis on the livability and economic potential of these cities. We use an explanatory cohesive framework in the present study, which finds its origin in the so-called ‘urban piazza’ model. Next, using an extensive database on various rankings of 40 global cities (the so-called GPCI data base), the relative performance of these cities is ‘explained’ in a qualitative sense by means of a non-parametric ordinal ranking method, known as rough set analysis. The approach allows us to identify in a qualitative sense the driving forces that altogether are responsible for the economic and livability achievements of these cities. Our analysis is based on a novel triple-layer rough set analysis of the performance of the cities concerned. The empirical analysis highlights the combined explanatory ‘power’ of several success conditions and drivers of the cities concerned. Our empirical results demonstrate that in particular geographical accessibility and R&D of these urban areas appears to play in many cases an important role in shaping their strong position.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Social och ekonomisk geografi -- Kulturgeografi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Social and Economic Geography -- Human Geography (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Cities

Performance

Piazza model

Rough set analysis

Urbanization

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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