Conceptualising and measuring urban competitiveness in major English cities: an exploratory approach

Recent years have witnessed considerable academic debate with regard to the ways in which urban competitiveness can best be conceptualised and measured. In this paper we draw on these theoretical discussions in an attempt to interrogate the dynamics of competitiveness. We report on research to develop indicators to explore the relationship between sources (the initial stock of assets in a city) and outcomes of competitiveness (the result of attempts to exploit these assets by firms) across a sample of urban areas. We argue that urban asset bases provide a strong predictor of competitive performance in English cities, but that this general pattern is interrupted by some cities for which competitive outcomes are stronger or weaker than might be expected in light of underlying asset bases. The study findings provide some tentative methodological suggestions, augmenting the limited volume of empirically focused work regarding the means by which different aspects of the contested concept of competitiveness might best be measured. The findings also illustrate the differing competitive fortunes of major English cities and provide pointers with regard to priorities for policymakers in moulding and managing urban asset bases.