In the past decades, various indices have emerged examining multiple dimensions of city living such as the real estate, mobility, sustainability among others. We analysed twenty-one popular global city indices to understand their origin, their focus, how Indian cities fare and which Indian cities appear in these indices. While many of them compare cities on the basis of their current standing on a set of parameters, there are others which rank cities based on their future potential such as ability to attract human resources, capital or HNWIs. With India opening up its economy in early 1990s, Indian cities have also become centres of attraction for global capital. As a result, Indian cities have started figuring in many such indices. This Nagrika Speaks article analyses some such rankings in which Indian cities have featured.

On 30th and 31st July 2020, we heard multiple perspectives at Arthan’s Tomorrow’s Liveable Cities which Nagrika help organize in partnership with BORDA. The conference brought to the fore the role of organisations in bringing all hands together and creating Tomorrow’s Liveable Cities. Based on the discussions and perspectives of the diverse practitioners from across various disciplines, we felt that three key themes emerged - Making people central to the cities, Using knowledge to improve our cities, and Enabling Organizations to serve citizens.

It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts” says Sherlock Holmes. The present article also is an allusion to the importance of facts before findings - the historical link between data and decision making in cantonment towns.