Over the past decade, creative industries have become the fastest growing segment of New York's economy, overtaking the traditionally successful finance, insurance and legal service sectors. According to the Creative New York study released by the Urban Future Center in 2015, New York is ahead of such US creative centres as San Francisco and Los Angeles in terms of the number of people employed in the creative economy. However, despite economic growth and large-scale diversification of the creative sector in New York, its continued development has been cast into question in the light of huge investments into other creative capitals such as Montreal, London and Berlin. The emergence of new creative centres comes of little surprise, given the now extortionate cost of living in New York. New York's economy is based on finance, services, trade, industry, utilities, construction, transportation, advertising and media. The centre of New York is home to large banks, stock exchanges and insurance companies, and hosts 44 headquarters of leading US corporations, putting the city at the top of the list of US cities in terms of concentration of large businesses. Today creative clusters in New York today are home to 28% of all US fashion designers, 14% of filmmakers and producers, and 12% of editors in all print media.

• At the heart of New York's creative sector is the media industry (making up 50.5%). Next is design and architecture, which accounts for a quarter of the total creative economy. Unlike other cities in which the IT industry plays a more significant role, in New York digital technologies stand in third place (18%).
• Media comes top in terms of contribution to the gross added value growth of the creative sector (45%) followed by the design and architecture industry (29%).
• Digital technologies and the cultural economy occupy 21% and 5%, respectively.
• Half of employees in New York's technology sector are working in computer system design.
• The average annual growth rate of the creative sector in New York was 5%, while the rest of the economy grew by 3.8% annually.
• Every 9th New Yorker contributes to the creative economy. More than 9% of all US creative specialists live and work in the city.
• The average New Yorker has to pay more than 2/3 of his salary to rent a one-bedroom apartment in the centre, and slightly less than a half for an apartment outside the city centre.
• New York is one of the most ethnically and racially diverse cities in the United States. 38% of city residents were born abroad, and in the next ten years the number of different cultures represented in New York will only increase. The experts we surveyed recognised New York as the most tolerant city evaluated in the index.
• New York is characterised by high rates of entrepreneurial activity, by this indicator the city ranks first in the index. For each 1,000 inhabitants of New York more than 22 small and medium-sized businesses operate in the city. On one hand, the development of the small- and medium-sized business sector has historically been supported by the authorities. On the other, non-profit small and medium-sized organisations do not always find support from the authorities and do not have the opportunity to receive funding from NGOs.
• New York has high levels of income inequality. New York's authorities are trying to level all financial constraints that prevent creative specialisation. The Made in NY educational programme was set up in 2006 with the support of the mayor, with the goal of providing jobs for the low-income population in the form of entry-level positions in film production and the TV industry, as well as attracting new people to the industry.

In the 1980s London became the first global capital to develop an economic strategy focused on creative industries. Since then the creative sector has been central to policy-making decisions and has become highly successful and the most dynamic area of London's economy. London is the world's financial centre, where leading global companies meet experimental start-ups, where technology and creativity come together to form a unique climate that draws in creative professionals and encourages new businesses to grow. This is largely the result of educational reform and a relatively open migration policyLocal universities offer the broadest range of programmes for creative specialists, putting London at the top of the list in terms of educational infrastructure.

• London is also a leader in international conferences and professional events — a third of the events on media and digital technologies taking place in our featured cities are held in London.

• Among the cities evaluated in this study, London has seen the greatest support for creative industries from local government. A prime example is the Tech City programme, launched in 2010 to support the local digital sector and create the Silicon Roundabout technological cluster in east London. Rethinking intellectual property rights has also been crucial for the sector.
• In terms of internet infrastructure London is also ahead of the other cities. Tech companies are granted free office internet access as part of the Super-connected Cities programme, which has a total budget of 100m GBP.
• London is lively both night and day, with the nightlife economy a key priority for city authorities. In 2016 the first Night Mayor was appointed to develop the nighttime infrastructure and manage logistics, security and travel. Another initiative underway is 24-hour London, which seeks to make London the world's nightlife capital through late night museum openings and an extended cultural programme.
• Every 8th Londoner is employed in the creative sector, with this population making up an estimated 11% of the city's economy, the highest among the cities surveyed here.
• The creative sector has grown by 8% over the last five years, compared to a 5% average for the economy as a whole. Architecture (22%), along with advertising and marketing (20%), are among the most rapidly developing parts of the economy.
• The cultural economy makes up 12% of London's creative economy compared to 4 — 8% in the other cities analysed, making London the world's cultural capital. Research also shows that the cultural economy is the most rapidly growing segment of London's creative economy, surpassing crafts with its 17.5% average annual growth and the 11% annual growth of music and performing arts.

Sydney is Australia's most densely populated city, with an enviable climate and high quality of life. In 2007, Sydney commissioned urbanist Jan Gehl to oversee a redesign of the city centre. As a result, the city saw new light rail and ferry routes, as well as more green space and bicycle lanes.
Sydney hopes to reap the rewards of the global boom in the creative economy: in 2013 the government developed its Industry Action Plan for the creative industries, focused on supporting the advertising, design, music and film industries in the city.

• 39.6% of Australia's entire creative industry workforce is based in New South Wales, where Sydney is the region's dominant economic power;
• Sydney took first place in the ranking of global capitals by academic success; it leads by number of students, number of students at THE top 500-ranked universities, and by average number of university courses dedicated to the creative disciplines;
• Sydney is one of the index's leading cities by economic status, and by the openness and tolerance of its residents;
• Sydney is undergoing unprecedented urban expansion, with its territory forecast to increase in size by 33% by 2030. To ensure good governance of the new territory, the government is adopting modern design principles in the development of transport infrastructure, housing, and urban infrastructure projects;
• Sydney is fast becoming a global festival capital. The Sydney Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Sydney Writers' Festival and Biennale of Sydney attract over 1.4 million visitors each year. The Vivid Sydney festival of light, music and ideas drew a record 2.33 million visitors in 2017.

Over the past two decades, the structure of Moscow's economy has become similar to the economic structure of the world's largest cities. The trade sector makes up around half, followed by business services, research and development. Information technology comes in third place in terms of added value. Most large countrywide companies are located in Moscow, as well as the majority of international companies operating in regional Russian markets.

The city has a favourable environment for attracting investment and launching IT projects. The headquarters of the biggest venture funds — Runa Capital, IMI.VC, ru-Net Ventures — are located in Moscow. Creative industries are not included in official Russian government statistics, but based on data pertaining to other economic areas it is possible to define the sector's key components. Moscow is among the world's top five cities for volume of advertising services.

• Over the last three years employment in Moscow's creative sector has dropped. The 2014 crisis and consequent redistribution of labour resources has had a visible impact on the media sphere (-22% for 2010-2015), design and architecture (-5%), art and culture (-5%), as well as IT(-10%). A significant number of employees switched to freelance work.
• The growth of the creative sector's share of Moscow GRP significantly exceeds other cities, coming second only to Berlin. While the overall volume of Moscow's economy has grown by 12%, the creative sector has increased by 22%. The main drivers of this rapid growth are digital technologies (+41% annually), design and architecture (+20% annually), and culture and arts (+14% annually). Growth in the media sphere has been lower than the average at just 7%.
• Moscow has demonstrated the fastest growth in added value in the sphere of digital technologies (+207% for 2010-2015), 3.3 times more than Moscow GRP growth for the same period.
• Moscow's labour market has the highest level of accessibility for creative professionals in the media sphere, along with culture and arts. Competition among job seekers in the media sphere exceeds the average rate by three times (5 and 1.5 people per position, respectively), while the level of competition for positions in the culture and arts sphere is two times higher than average (6 and 2 people, respectively).
• The system of support for creative companies has developed unevenly and prioritises high-tech and internet projects. In 2013, the Moscow government initiated the Portal for Suppliers project (its main feature is providing support for small-scale procurement) which increases opportunities for small- and medium- sized businesses opportunities to work with state tenders and procurement.
• Moscow's authorities pursue policies of citizen involvement, encouraging discussions on public problems, as well as launching special services and portals to connect citizens with government representatives. One of the most well-known examples is the Active Citizen platform, which is used for voting on a variety of public issues.
• Moscow falls behind the other cities in terms of media representation, coming ahead of Seoul alone. This situation may be due to the prevalence of English in the global media.

Nur-Sultan is a modern city with a favorable environment attractive for tourists and comfortable for residents and guests of the Kazakh capital to live in. The capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan since 1997 is situated on a picturesque bank of the Ishim River.

In 1999 by decision of UNESCO, Nur-Sultan city was awarded the title of World City. The city has an opera and Ballet Theater, a drama theater and a variety of museums. The monuments of Nur-Sultan city are a linking element between the new capital and its history, held in esteem by all the people of Kazakhstan.

Nowadays Nur-Sultan city besides differing by its refined architecture is also turning into a garden city. The city's "green belt" is getting wider and accordingly Nur-Sultan city is becoming a green oasis in the centre of huge steppes, being a model of non-polluting megacity. Nur-Sultan city's mission is to become a cultural and intellectual centre of the Eurasian space and to play a role of the main generator of Kazakhstan's sustainable development.

Towering skyscrapers against a mountainous backdrop sit side by side with small fishing villages, where local residents proudly cling onto their cultural heritage. Hong Kong's arts and creative industries are famous throughout the world for their cultural affinity with both the east and the west.

The government is actively promoting the development of the creative industries in the hope of turning Hong Kong into the creative capital of Asia. Founded in 2009, Create Hong Kong is an initiative tasked with the development of the creative industries in Hong Kong, assisting creative professionals through the provision of services, as well as financial and knowledge-based support.

• From drama to dance, pop music to Chinese opera, Hong Kong is a hub of eastern and western performing arts. Hong Kong is home to over 1,000 art collectives giving more than 8,000 performances each year, which attract over 3 million visitors;
• Hong Kong Arts Festival takes place annually in February and March. It is one of the most important international festivals in Asia, hosting performances from local, Asian and western collectives representing music, theatre, dance and opera. There are over 100 events on the programme every year, including classical and traditional works, as well as more modern and creative interpretations;
• Recent figures suggest that there are around 40,000 institutions dedicated to the cultural and creative industries operating in Hong Kong, employing over 200,000 professionals. The creative industries account for around 5% of Hong Kong's GRP;
• Hong Kong ranks among the top four cities in the Creative Capital Index by levels of education across society; international programmes to assess educational achievements have ranked the students of Hong Kong first among the global capitals.

Helsinki today is an international metropolis, still retaining the atmosphere of a small city. A strategy based on equality, non-discrimination, and open and inclusive engagement with residents has been in place since 2017, with a view to turning Helsinki into the world's best functioning city. Every year the city spends around €17 million on developing its art and culture.

• Helsinki is the top ranked city by development of the urban environment and creative infrastructure;
• Over half of Finland's architects work in Helsinki;
• Helsinki is a world leader in government disclosure and use of public data;
• In 2016 Helsinki became the first city in the world to appoint a Chief Design Officer, with Finnish architect Anne Stenros taking on the role. Helsinki was awarded the status of World Design Capital in 2012;
• Helsinki's most popular music festival, Flow, saw attendance of 75,000 visitors from across Europe;
• The Port of Helsinki is one of Europe's busiest. In 2017 over 12.3 million passengers came through the port on the way to Tallinn, St Petersburg, Stockholm and other cities in Europe.

Over a decade ago, the then Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit attempted to attract creative professionals to the city with the slogan "Berlin is poor, but sexy". Cheap rent and favourable policies towards small- and medium-sized businesses have made Berlin attractive for young creative Europeans, who perhaps couldn't afford to reside in London or Paris. The Create Berlin programme was launched by local businesses together with city authorities, aimed at strengthening cooperation between the design industry and local government. The initiative has enabled the proliferation of creative projects across the city. Create Berlin became a platform through which Berlin's brightest minds could communicate and cooperate to solve urban issues, while providing a connection between the local population and city authorities.

• Berlin's creative sector comprises 8.5% of the city's economy, the third biggest share in the world after London and New York. TV and radio broadcasting make up the largest share (11%), followed by publishing activities (20%), digital technologies (16%), and the music industry (6%).
• Over the last five years the creative sector's share of employment has seen a 15% increase and now makes up 12.3%, meaning that every eighth employee in Berlin is working in the creative industries.
• Relative to the other cities in the index, Berlin has the most dynamic creative economy. The growth rate of the creative sector has been twice the rate of overall economic growth. While in 2009 the creative sector made up less than 8% of the GRP, by 2014 its share of Berlin's economy had already exceeded 10%.
• Berlin is successfully competing with London, enticing young projects and startups. A decade ago Berlin was home to just several dozen technological startups. According to the Regional Agency of Economic Growth, Berlin now has 70% more employment positions in the digital industries than in 2008.
• The German government is sponsoring venture funds and offers low-interest loans to startups through the state bank. Although the so-called "old school" big companies, such as Siemens and SAP, remain the most notable technological brands in Germany, they are no longer the main priority for IT developers in the early stages of their careers.
• Berlin is the European capital of cinema. The Berlin International Film Festival is a major cultural event for the global film industry. Besides the film screening programme, the festival hosts events such as forums, discussions, and workshops.
• In just 20 years, Berlin's nightlife has become a highly-organised industry that brings thousands of visitors to the city annually.
• Berlin's citizens are visibly active in science and education. They publish scientific papers almost twice as much as in the other cities included in this index and also register twice as many patents.
• According to both statistics and the evaluation of experts, the level of development of the urban environment is higher in Berlin than in the other cities. The city is one of the world's most attractive due to its rich cultural offering and the moderate cost of living. The rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the centre of Berlin requires one-third of the average salary, while in New York, Moscow and London a similar flat would cost about two-thirds. Renting an apartment beyond the city centre in Berlin would require spending a quarter of the average salary, compared to half in London, Moscow and New York. A low cost of living taken together with high salaries make Berlin especially attractive for young creative professionals from Europe, who can't afford to live in London or New York.
• Berliners are open and tolerant towards people with different socio-cultural backgrounds.
• Berlin outperforms the other cities in terms of density of innovation and creativity infrastructure. The density of the creative infrastructure stands at three times the average, which can be explained by the fact that Germany was one of the pioneers of the Fourth Industrial Revolution — a digital revolution driven by progress in digital technologies. The intense rate of development of creative infrastructure illustrates the priority given to the creative sector by the government of Berlin.
• Berlin's public image is significantly lower than that of New York, but it has overtaken its European competitor, London.

Founded a little over 100 years ago on sand dunes, today Tel Aviv is a booming hub for innovation and creativity. One of the world's leading "start-up cities" of just 400,000 residents is home to almost 2,000 startups and tech companies. Its open and accepting culture, a unique urban design that encourages social interaction, bold and inventive people – all contributed to the city's exceptional creative ecosystem and a flourishing art scene.

In 2014, Tel Aviv became a member of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network in the category of Media Arts, which demonstrates the world's recognition of Tel Aviv as a vibrant center of cultural diversity and groundbreaking technology.