Assessing economic landscapes: city rankings (2010–2022)

Urban assessment is crucial for understanding the dynamics of city development, identifying areas for improvement, and formulating targeted policies to enhance the quality of life for residents. This study focuses on evaluating Kazakhstan’s megacities across nine indicators grouped into financial and economic condition, business development, and living standards. Using comparative analysis and ranking methods, the study assesses budgetary allocations, population dynamics, industrial growth, and the impact of strategic investments on urban development. Drawing on current economic and demographic trends, the study examines the role of cities as drivers of economic growth and highlights the importance of addressing social and economic inequalities. Through a literature review, the study contextualizes the findings within the broader discourse on urbanization and economic development, emphasizing the need for nuanced strategies to address regional disparities. Methodologically, a rating system based on quantitative indicators from 2010 to 2022 is employed, with a heatmap visualization to illustrate city rankings across various indicators. Using aggregated data on key economic indicators, the cities were classified into three categories: high-ranking, mid-ranking and low-ranking. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of urban development in Kazakhstan and provides insights for policy formulation aimed at promoting sustainable and inclusive growth across its megacities. The city ranking analysis depicts a varied economic landscape in Kazakhstani cities. High-ranked cities exhibit robust economic performance with low poverty rates, strong average salaries, and active retail trade, hinting at promising business prospects. Mid-ranked cities show mixed performances, while low-ranked cities face considerable economic challenges, including higher poverty, lower salaries, and potential declines in trade.

1. Ihlanfeldt K.R. The importance of the central city to the regional and national economy: a review of the arguments and empirical evidence // Cityscape. 1995. P. 125–150.

2. Beall J., Fox S. Cities and development. Routledge, 2009.

3. Frick S.A., Rodríguez-Pose A. Big or small cities? On city size and economic growth // Growth and change. 2018. Vol. 49. No. 1. P. 4–32.

4. Anthopoulos L., Fitsilis P. Using Classification and Roadmapping techniques for Smart City viability’s realization School of Business and Economics, Technological Education Institute (TEI) of Thessaly. Larissa, Greece. URL: http://www.ejeg.com/

5. Huriot J.M., Bourdeau-Lepage L. Megacities vs global cities: development and Institutions // 46th Congress of the European Regional Science Association “Enlargement, Southern Europe and the Mediterranean”. Volos, Greece. August 30th – September 3rd, 2006.

6. Crisp R., Waite D., Green A., Hughes C., Lupton R., MacKinnon D., Pike A. ‘Beyond GDP’in cities: Assessing alternative approaches to urban economic development // Urban Studies. 2024. Vol. 61. No. 7. P. 1209–1229. URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980231187884

7. Nijman J., Wei Y.D. Urban inequalities in the 21st century economy // Applied geography. 2020. Vol. 117. P. 102188. URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2020.102188

8. Manduca R.A. The contribution of national income inequality to regional economic divergence // Social Forces. 2019. Vol. 98. No. 2. P. 622–648.

9. Karahasan B.C., Bilgel F. Economic geography and human capital accumulation in Turkey: evidence from micro-data // Regional Studies. 2021. Vol. 55. No. 7. P. 1252–1264. URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2021.1879379

10. Li Z. et al. Relationship between urban construction land expansion and population/economic growth in Liaoning Province, China // Land Use Policy. 2020. Vol. 99. P. 105022.

11. Dehghani A., Alidadi M., Sharifi A. Compact development policy and urban resilience: a critical review // Sustainability. 2022. Vol. 14. No. 19. P. 11798. URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/su141911798

12. Khan A.U., Saboor A., Ali I., Malik W.S., Mahmood K. Urbanization of multidimensional poverty: empirical evidences from Pakistan // Quality & quantity. 2016. Vol. 50. No. 1. P. 439–469. URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-014-0157-x

13. Sun L., Chen J., Li Q., Huang D. Dramatic uneven urbanization of large cities throughout the world in recent decades // Nature communications. 2020. Vol. 11. No. 1. P. 5366. URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19158-1

14. Fan S., Zhang L., Zhang X. Growth and poverty in rural China: The role of public investments. 2000. Vol. 581. Р. 39487.

15. Dahiya B. Cities in Asia, 2012: Demographics, economics, poverty, environment and governance // Cities. 2012. Vol. 29. P. 44–61. URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2012.06.013

16. Liu Y., Liu J., Zhou Y. Spatio-temporal patterns of rural poverty in China and targeted poverty alleviation strategies // Journal of rural studies. 2017. Vol. 52. P. 66–75.

17. Turok I., McGranahan G. Urbanization and economic growth: the arguments and evidence for Africa and Asia // Environment and urbanization. 2013. Vol. 25. No. 2. P. 465–482. URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247813490908

18. Mahadea D., Zogli L.K.J. Constraints to growth in informal sector activities and formalisation: A case study of Ghanaian slums // The Southern African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. 2018. Vol. 10. No. 1. P. 1–9. URL: https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-1351835c02

19. Chernick H., Copeland D., Reschovsky A. The fiscal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cities: An initial assessment // National Tax Journal. 2020. Vol. 73. No. 3. P. 699–732.

20. Mukhametzhan S.O., Junusbekova G.A., Daueshov M.Y. An econometric model for assessing the asymmetry of urban development as a factor of regional economic growth: the case of Kazakhstan // Industrial Engineering & Management Systems. 2020. Vol. 19. No. 2. P. 460–475.

21. Shakibayev M., Balginova K., Aimurzinov M., Baimukhamedova A. Impact of Economic and Social Factors on Urban Development: A Comprehensive Analysis of Cities in Kazakhstan // Eurasian Journal of Economic and Business Studies. 2024. Vol. 68. No. 1. P. 77–89. URL: https://doi.org/10.47703/ejebs.v68i1.354

22. Bagayeva N.U., Arystanova A.K., Musakhanova A. The Influence of TNC Investment Activity on the Economic Growth of Countries with Emerging Economy // Economics: the strategy and practice. 2022. Vol. 17. No. 1. P. 171–184. URL: https://doi.org/10.51176/1997-9967-2022-1-171-184

23. Bureau of National Statistics. 2022. URL: http://www.stat.gov.kz