Read the McKinsey overview and four supporting papers from their research program on changing face of the global urban economy.
Asia’s growing economic power manifests itself in many ways. Back in 2007, for example, only 8 of the top 50 urban areas (by GDP) were located there. Half of global GDP came from the developed world’s top 380 cities, with 20-plus percent from just 190 North American ones. But over the next 15 years, the urban center of gravity will move south and—still more decisively—east. By 2025, Asia will boast upward of 20 of the top 50 cities, and Shanghai and Beijing will have GDPs higher than those of Los Angeles and London.