London leads as a city of culture

London has emerged as one of the leading cultural centres in the world in a survey of twelve of the most “globally important” cities. The World Cities Culture Report 2012 examines around 60 measures in order to paint a picture of the role of culture in each city. Commissioned by Mayor of London Boris Johnson and co-ordinated by BOP consulting, its aim is not to ‘rank’ the cities but compare them, and an examination of cultural policy analyses the different approaches, priorities and challenges of cities around the world.

Comparing London, New York, Paris, Berlin, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Mumbai, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo, the report found that London has the second highest number of galleries and museums, 1,030, while Paris has 1,183. But visits to London’s five most popular museums and galleries per capita are significantly higher than any of the other eleven cities; at 3.2 to New York’s 1.9. London holds the second most theatre and dance performances annually, 35,204, while New York puts on 49,296 performances. New York’s theatre admissions per 100,000 people were the highest, at 3.5, whilst London had the second highest at 1.8. Paris is the leading city in terms of specialist Higher Education establishments, with 103; London has just 57.

In individual profiles of nine of the surveyed cities, the report identified London’s strengths as including a publicly funded sector which has expanded its sources of income and developed a healthy commercial instinct allowing it to raise funds. An analysis of policy found that culture is at the heart of public policy around the globe, and is increasingly seen as a driver of economic growth. However, cities differ in where they place culture within public policy; for example, Johannesburg sees culture as part of health and social development, whilst London places a stronger emphasis on the educational aspects of culture. The report suggests that embedding culture inside other areas of policy can make the government’s impact on culture difficult to identify, and lead to the assumption that “things just happen” in cities. However a flexible and multi-disciplinary approach is needed to adapt to cities different needs. The report identifies three common challenges to cultural policymakers: how to strike a balance between tradition and modernity; how to maintain a sense of the local and specific in a rapidly globalising world; and how best to link infrastructure and participation. It suggests that cities focus on culture’s potential as a force of regeneration and a link between the public and private sectors.

A World Cities Culture Forum will be launched by the partner cities at the Mayoral Summit this month during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and will be open to other leading cities to join. It will aim to highlight the contribution of culture to the economic and social success of world cities by building a base of evidence. This will become a shared research and leaning tool, via an online platform, an annual conference, and ongoing research projects.