Indian cities not in sync with urban chic

A survey by a magazine, market agency and a city think-tank — All American — have come up with an interesting list of influential cities. Of them, four — Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul — ranked at third, fifth, eighth and tenth, respectively happen to be Asian. And if you include Sydney, ranked ninth, as part of the Asia-Pacific region, then it turns out that half of them are on this side of the world. Europe accounts for just two — London at second and Paris at fourth, while the United States has three — New York (first), Chicago (sixth) and Los Angeles (seventh). Indian metropolises like Delhi (45th), Mumbai (46th) and Kolkata (63rd) are at the bottom end of the table.

So, what does it show? A big city is not a smart or hip city. A criterion in preparing the list was the influence exerted by a city beyond its borders. If urban is the future of civilisation, then Indian cities, including the biggies, seem to be lagging behind. Mumbai’s Shanghai aspirations and Delhi’s London dreams need to be reshaped. Architectural sleekness, transporation solutions and cultural buzz are what make a city smart. The basic tenets of India’s urban chic have to change.