Alpha, Beta and Gamma cities are categories formed as a result of the creation of the Global Cities Index ranking organised by the British think tank Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) in 2008.
“The list includes the biggest, most strongly integrated and most developed cities that play a dominant role in the country where they are situated. They are places of highest importance for global economy and suitable locations for international institutions, offices of large companies and organisations,” stress the organisers.
Metropolises are selected on the basis of an analysis of economic factors, including bookkeeping, consulting, financial and legal services. In the GaWC ranking (not based on places), cities are assigned to a number of categories (Alpha, Beta and Gamma) and to two categories of lower importance (High Sufficiency and Sufficiency).
Wroclaw: a Gamma city
The ranking has been topped by New York and London for years. Warsaw joined the Alpha category a long time ago, beside Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome or Washington.
The latest GaWC 2018 ranking (the previous ones were published in 2016) includes six Polish metropolises: Warszawa, Poznań, Wroclaw, Kraków, Katowice and Łódź.
For the last two years, Wroclaw has been in the Gamma category, which includes 22 cities, e.g. Cologne, Ottawa and San Antonio. This group has been joined by Poznań this year.
Wroclaw attracts investors
Warsaw, Kraków, Wroclaw – these are the leading Polish cities in the role of locations for foreign investments.
In the European Cities and Regions of the Future 2018/19 ranking published in March this year, Wroclaw ranked second among middle-sized cities for business-friendly attitude and seventh among all cities of Eastern Europe.
Wroclaw was appreciated for life quality in the Quality of Living 2018 ranking. The classification of best places to live includes such factors as the political situation, the level of education, transport, medical care, the natural environment and the cultural, consumer and housing offer. On the basis of these data, international companies and organisations can estimate salaries for specialists working outside their countries.
Wroclaw: a good place to work and live
Wroclaw is selected most frequently for relocation purposes among managers (source: Antal Report: „Activity of professionals and managers in the labor market in Poland”, January 2017).
It was also selected as the best city to work and live by expats, who appreciate the level of support offered to newcomers by the city. The high quality of life goes hand in hand with low maintenance costs. Flat rents in Wroclaw are lower than in Berlin (40%), Barcelona (37%), Prague and Warsaw (source: Numbeo.com).
