The Business of Cities

What The Business of Cities does

The Business of Cities is a London-headquartered urban intelligence consultancy that provides advisory, research, and benchmarking services to city leadership teams, multinational corporations, and inter-governmental organizations. Founded in 2010 by Dr Tim Moonen and Greg Clark CBE, the firm operates five integrated service lines: Global Benchmarking (comparative analysis and performance measurement), Urban Investment (market analysis for investors and companies), Whole Place Innovation (innovation ecosystem development), Identity & Narrative (brand and communications strategy), and Leadership Strategy (governance and strategic planning). The firm has advised 200 city leadership teams, guided 1,200 urban districts and flagship projects, delivered 1,500 case studies, and chaired 90 city summits over its 15-year history. Its client base spans global financial institutions (European Investment Bank, BlackRock, AXA), real estate firms (JLL), technology companies (Airbnb), and city development bodies (Stockholm Business Region, Waterfront Toronto, Auckland Council, Committees for Melbourne and Adelaide).

The firm's technology foundation is a proprietary urban intelligence platform built on 5 million city data points and 1,000+ city performance and perception benchmarks, developed over 15 years of urban research. Specialized capabilities include geospatial data and visualization, comparative analysis across global cities, and white-label content production. The interdisciplinary team of approximately 10-15 people includes PhD-level researchers, data scientists, and former real estate and city leadership practitioners, supported by a global fellow and associate network spanning North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Southern Africa. Institutional partnerships with OECD, World Bank, Brookings Institution, Urban Land Institute, UCL, and LSE Cities provide research credibility and policy access, while chairing the MIPIM Political Leaders Summit offers direct engagement with senior city and corporate decision-makers.

The business operates on a professional services model with project-based, quote-based pricing. Revenue is generated through direct advisory engagements managed by senior leadership and 12 long-term content partnerships where the firm delivers white-label intelligence that integrates into client materials. Go-to-market relies on thought leadership content, conference participation, and repeat engagements rather than productized SaaS or volume sales. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external funding, concentrated founder ownership, and no subsidiaries or acquisition activity.

Name

The Business of Cities

Legal name

The Business of Cities Ltd

Website

https://thebusinessofcities.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Business of Cities is a London-based urban intelligence consultancy that provides advisory, benchmarking, and research services to city governments, multinational corporations, and inter-governmental organizations across five integrated service lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Intelligence Consulting

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Leadership Development & Executive Coaching (BPAHAGAD)

Keywords

• Urban intelligence consulting
• City benchmarking services
• Urban strategy advisory
• Place branding consulting
• City performance analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Advisory & Consulting Services: Professional advisory services provided to city leadership teams, companies, and global institutions. Engagements include strategic advisory, research collaboration, and consulting projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Business of Cities is a London-based urban intelligence consultancy founded in 2010 that provides international advisory, data, and comparative analysis to city leadership teams, global corporations, and inter-governmental organizations. The firm operates across five integrated service lines — Global Benchmarking, Urban Investment, Whole Place Innovation, Identity & Narrative, and Leadership Strategy — delivered through direct advisory engagements, white-label content partnerships, and research collaborations.

Product overview

The Business of Cities is a consulting and advisory firm offering a portfolio of five integrated service lines focused on urban intelligence for global business. The core offerings include Global Benchmarking (comparative analysis and performance measurement), Urban Investment (market analysis for investors and companies), Whole Place Innovation (innovation ecosystem development), Identity & Narrative (brand and communications strategy), and Leadership Strategy (governance and strategic planning). These services are delivered through international advisory, data analysis, comparative research, and content production, supporting cities and companies in strategic decision-making around urban development and market positioning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global Benchmarking Research and evidence-gathering service that helps cities, places, and companies assess and improve their competitive position in global markets through comparative analysis and benchmarking frameworks.
• Urban Investment Advisory service helping companies and investors understand urban markets and identify target cities and prospects for strategic positioning and investment decisions.
• Whole Place Innovation Consulting service that creates shared value at the intersection of frontier economy and enterprising cities and districts, supporting innovation ecosystem development.
• Identity & Narrative Strategic communications service supporting cities' flagship projects in building visibility, brand identity, and compelling narratives for international positioning.
• Leadership Strategy Advisory service helping city leadership teams revise strategies and refine governance structures to achieve urban development objectives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200 city leadership teams advised globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MIPIMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIPIM is a leading global real estate event where The Business of Cities participates and chairs the Political Leaders Summit. Dr Tim Moonen, Managing Director, chairs the annual Mipim Political Leaders Summit featuring global political leaders.
• OECDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with OECD on local development futures forums, including hosting events such as the OECD local development futures forum in Barranquilla. The company has collaborated closely with OECD's urban thought leadership teams.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with World Bank on urban development research and knowledge sharing. The company has co-authored reports and collaborated with World Bank's urban thought leadership teams.
• Brookings InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Brookings Institution on urban research and policy development. The company has worked with Brookings' urban thought leadership teams.
• Urban Land InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with ULI for urban development research and knowledge sharing.
• UCLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with University College London where Dr Tim Moonen serves as a Visiting Lecturer. The company collaborates with UCL on research and executive-level education.
• LSE CitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with LSE Cities on urban research and academic publications.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BCG (Boston Consulting Group): BCG appears as a client/logo on TBoC's website and competes in the urban strategy and economic development consulting space through its Public Sector and Cities practices. BCG offers city competitiveness and economic development advisory as part of a much broader management consulting portfolio.
• Knight Frank: Knight Frank publishes the Wealth Report and runs research on city dynamics relevant to prime residential and commercial real estate. Overlaps with TBoC in producing global city intelligence and serving governments/corporates on urban strategy.
• CBRE: CBRE runs a Global Research programme and a dedicated Cities & Locations advisory, directly comparable to TBoC's city benchmarking and urban investment services. Operates as part of a much larger commercial real estate services franchise.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Cushman & Wakefield's Global Cities Index and broader consulting services overlap with TBoC's global benchmarking and urban investment advisory work. Like JLL and CBRE, it bundles urban intelligence into a wider commercial real estate services platform.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): JLL is a named client and partner of The Business of Cities, producing award-winning cities research tied to real estate strategy. JLL operates a much broader commercial real estate services platform, but its Cities Research programme overlaps directly with TBoC's global benchmarking and city positioning services.
• Arup: Arup is listed as a client of TBoC and is a major global engineering, design, and advisory firm running a dedicated Cities, Planning & Design practice. Arup competes for urban strategy, place-making, and city economic advisory mandates at much larger scale but with broader technical-engineering orientation.

Direct peers

• LSE Cities (London School of Economics): LSE Cities is a named research partner of TBoC and produces urban research, graduate programmes, and advisory work focused on metropolitan performance and governance. Overlaps in academic-adjacent urban intelligence, but operates as a university research centre rather than commercial consultancy.
• Oxford Economics: Oxford Economics produces global city forecasting, GDP modelling, and economic intelligence for cities, corporates, and governments - directly comparable to TBoC's global benchmarking service. Operates at much larger scale with built-in economic modelling products.
• Brookings Institution (Metropolitan Policy Program): Brookings is a listed strategic partner of TBoC and runs a Metropolitan Policy Program producing influential research on city economic performance, governance, and inclusion. Closely comparable as a think-tank-meets-advisory organisation producing urban thought leadership for city leadership teams.
• Urban Land Institute (ULI): ULI is a listed strategic partner of TBoC and produces research, advisory, and convenings on urban land use, real estate, and city development. A direct comparable for TBoC's place-making, innovation district, and city development advisory work, but at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-business-of-cities-ltd
• Xx.com/thebizofcities

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Business of Cities