Hey lets host the superbowl!! Nooo!

Hey lets host the olympics!!! Nooo!

Based on its objection to being a host to anything world class, id say no, Seattle isnt a world class city.

You guys don't even know how bike share works.

I like Vegas for what it is, but really?

@5: Totally. Vegas, according to this obviously deeply flawed map, has more "buzz" than San Francisco? Or Buenos Aires? Or fucking Rome? More assets than Oslo? Or Abu Dhabi? Really?

Good Morning Charles,
Sorry but, I believe this graph to be dubious. There is no mention of Toronto as a world class city. And, Las Vegas shouldn't even be considered. It's the worst city in America. It's excess at its most apparent.

As to your conclusion, I remain skeptical that socialism is good for business.

Won't this mean that a few years after we become "the socialist city", none of the locals will be interested in it and it'll just become window dressing for tourists? Kind of like the rain, the thing from space and throwing fish? I mean, I guess if that's what you want.

It doesn't seem fair that poor little Seattle has to compete on its own against the Greater Lisbon/Washington Metro Area. The commuter rail that runs west out of Lisbon's Cais do Sodre station stops at Carcavelos, Estoril, Cascais, but then there's really a bit of a gap before it pulls into New Carrolton, Md.

This graph, and the article and study it's from, is all nonsense.

From the Guardian article : "The report measures two aspects of a city's brand: its “assets” – attractions, climate, infrastructure (particularly transport), safety and economic prosperity – and its “buzz”, a combination of social media (Facebook likes and Twitter sentiment analysis) and media mentions."

1. Have the authors BEEN to Beijing? I'd ask if they'd seen Beijing, but that's not actually possible through the smog. It's a massive dump with a terrible climate. How does it top NYC on the Asset scale?

2. People in mainland china do not use Twitter and Facebook, thus no "buzz" for Shanghai and Beijing.

This is a nonsense advertorial for a branding consultancy, not a work of actual scholarship.

@5, @6 from the article:
" 'buzz”' a combination of social media (Facebook likes and Twitter sentiment analysis) and media mentions. "
If there is one thing LV has, it's self-promotion. In addition, it has quickly become one of the best(fanciest) restaurant cities, as well as a leader in hotels and shows. This is not my opinion, I find LV unpleasant, but to people who care about "brand management", LV is doing a good job.

Ugh. We don't need attention. The more people know this place, the more they will want to move here. And the more that move here, the higher prices go. I think that polar vortex was the last straw for the mid-west and east coast.

Instead of sports, let's go with being a world-class arts, culture, science, and social good city.

our "buzz' will come from lots of stoned service workers living in micro-housing. it's the new seattle normal...

Seattle's quixotic quest to become a 'world class city' with a 'vibrant urban lifestyle' hasn't made this town any better, just a shitload more expensive.

Seattle should consider a 90% property tax and a $1000/minimum wage. Only then can it de-densify and return vertical growth in to arable farmland.

Only then could it drive away enough people to make it America's most livable city...like it was in 1992....before Kurt Cobain ruined it for everyone.

Pasco is growing.
Spokane is hip.
Yakima may get there.

Alternatives are beckoning.

@15 I disagree. The downtown library is amazing (though I wish our library system had a more diverse selection of books and documentaries...and longer hours!). Townhall is a real gem. Seattle Center has a lot to offer. Our bike lanes are finally starting to show up and make commuting within the city a tiny bit less of a nightmare.

If we could overhaul the Pacific Science Center (completely), get a few more large parks and greenways, create a more connected and cohesive transit system, and put more concerted effort into diversifying our neighborhoods and cultural institutions, we'd be making huge strides toward being a more vibrant city.

Las Vegas definitely belongs on that thing.

It is an entertainment powerhouse, possibly the top entertainment city in the world.

@12, The secret's out, the damage has been done, now lets build transit infrastructure to accomodate them (us!).

@17 Getting off the Schneid on public transportation and expanding rail all over the Seattle metro area would go a long way toward making it a world class city instead of merely spinning (deluding) ourselves into believing it is. After all, wouldn't it be cooler after going out to see live music or getting your drink on to take rail home at 2am rather than dial up an app for sidecar, hipstercar, or whatever.

I sure hope that the USA doesn't invade Seattle in the same way that Russia is invading the Ukraine. That would suck. A lot.

What #10 said. I'd rather sit through the 4-hour timeshare pitch that gets you the free Big Basin ski trip than a consulting agency executive explain how Tokyo's brand is underperforming.

Seoul has more buzz than any other Asian city? Really?