London: A cultural audit

This report is the first quantitative overview of London's cultural environment, which it compares with that of four world cities - New York, Paris, Tokyo and Shanghai.

It is an attempt, the first as far as we are aware, to pull together in one place, from the bewildering variety of sources that provide such information, all the available data on cultural infrastructure and consumption. It contains unfilled gaps and unresolved complexities.

Its aim is to provide evidence for the Mayor of London's strategy for culture, but it will be of wider use, offering an evidence base for improvement and innovation by decision and policy-makers in both the private and public sectors.

What it shows is that, for success, major world cities need the full range of culture – from world class classical arts to popular music, musical theatre to libraries, contemporary visual art to salsa dancing.

The evidence reveals a remarkable similarity between these cities in the quantity and breadth of the culture on offer sheds genuine new light on London's culture.

Commissioned by the London Development Agency (LDA), together with GLA Economics, this report complements and extends the Greater London Authority's (GLA) regular series of reports on the creative industries (GLA 2002, 2004, 2007).