The Ten Traits of Globally Fluent Metro Areas

Through the Global Cities Initiative, the Brookings Institution and JPMorgan Chase are working to equip business, civic and government leaders with information, policy ideas and connections that will help their metro regions thrive in the global economy. New research, released today at the Global Cities forum in Denver, identifies key traits of globally fluent metro areas and their critical relationship to the competitiveness, productivity and prosperity of cities and regions in the 21st century. More than 40 cities from the US and around the world are featured as case studies in the report.

The Ten Traits:

1. Leadership with a World View
   Local leadership networks with a global outlook have great potential to impact the global fluency of a given metro area.
    
2. Legacy of Global Orientation
   Location, size and history naturally orient certain cities toward global interaction from an early stage, and have access to unique socioeconomic opportunities.
    
3. Specializations with Global Reach
   Establish initial global position through a distinct expertise and leverage it as a platform for economic diversification over time.
    
4. Adaptability to Global Dynamics
   Cities that can adjust to new cycles of global change can better sustain their international market positions.
    
5. Culture of Knowledge and Innovation
   Human capital to generate knowledge, new ideas, methods, products and technologies.
    
6. Opportunity and Appeal to the World
   Openness and opportunities make cities appealing and serve as magnets for attracting people and firms from around the world.
    
7. International Connectivity
   Global reach that efficiently connects people and goods to international markets through well-designed, modern infrastructure.
    
8. Ability to Secure Investment for Strategic Priorities
   Attracting investment from a wide variety of sources enables metro areas to effectively pursue new growth strategies.
    
9. Government as Global Enabler
   Federal, state and local governments have unique and complementary roles to play in enabling firms and metro areas to “go global.”
    
10. Compelling Global Identity
    High standards, reputation and global relevance enable metro areas to establish appealing an identity in international markets.

About the Global Cities Initiative »

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How can you make your city or metro area more globally fluent?

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See what the authors are saying on their blog:

• Global Cities: Introducing the 10 Traits of Globally Fluent Metro Areas
• Denver’s Mile High Global Views

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