It is still struggling to step out of Beijing's shadow and put itself on the map as a world-class city with class.

"If they want to become a world-class city, they have to develop leisure time," he said.

In fact, Houston should be known as more than a world-class city.

But let's face it: for a world-class city we did not measure up.

New York deserves beautiful and exciting public spaces worthy of a world-class city.

If you look at any world-class city, there is a walkable river.

It goes on to detail its subsequent rise into a world-class city.

But can business leaders themselves make a world-class city?

Now they just say, 'We need to be a world-class city, and taxpayers will have to pay for it.'

"Detroit is going to be a world-class city," he declared.