ABSTRACT
There is a long tradition in the practice of ranking cities in urban studies. The idea is based on the simple observation of the fact that cities may differ dramatically in terms of size, urban functions, infrastructures and living conditions. The three global ranking analyses of city brands that are arguably the most popular and influential are the 'City Brands Index', the 'Global Cities Index' and the 'Guardian Cities brand barometer'. Rankings and assessments give form and visibility to the ghosts of success. In the tradition of urban studies, the oldest and simplest form has been probably the quantitative analysis of the rank-size distribution, that is, the statistical investigation of the relationship between the population sizes and population ranks of cities, typically within a single state. However, the population size is quite a banal parameter for the evaluation of the hierarchical position of a city in the global scenario.
