a: mbition

Is your city aspiring to become more urban by building new transit stations? Are your city’s downtown and surrounding neighborhoods becoming more urban over time through the addition of new workers and residents? Are construction cranes for new skyscrapers and high-rises a common sight in your city?

Top 10 Cities With the Highest Level of Ambition (2014)

1.  Jersey City, NJ
2. Miami, FL
3. New York, NY
4. Boston, MA
5. Washington, DC
6. Seattle, WA
7. San Francisco, CA
8. Chicago, IL
9. Charlotte, NC
10. Sacramento, CA

The full list of urbanSCALE ratings for Ambition for all 100 cities (10 being the highest level of Ambition and 1 being the lowest level of Ambition):

Rank	City	State	Ambition urbanSCALE Score
1	Jersey City	NJ	10.0
2	Miami	FL	9.5
3	New York	NY	8.7
4	Boston	MA	7.9
5	Washington	DC	7.5
6	Seattle	WA	7.3
7	San Francisco	CA	7.2
8	Chicago	IL	6.9
9	Charlotte	NC	6.2
10	Sacramento	CA	6.1
11	Orlando	FL	5.9
12	Honolulu	HI	5.7
13	Portland	OR	5.6
14	Atlanta	GA	5.5
15	Austin	TX	5.5
16	Los Angeles	CA	5.4
17	Philadelphia	PA	5.3
18	Houston	TX	5.2
19	Henderson	NV	5.0
20	Plano	TX	4.9
21	Minneapolis	MN	4.9
22	Raleigh	NC	4.9
23	San Diego	CA	4.8
24	St. Louis	MO	4.8
25	Milwaukee	WI	4.8
26	Chandler	AZ	4.8
27	Tucson	AZ	4.6
28	Norfolk	VA	4.6
29	Oakland	CA	4.5
30	Tampa	FL	4.5
31	Denver	CO	4.4
32	Dallas	TX	4.4
33	San Bernardino	CA	4.4
34	Anchorage	AK	4.4
35	Fresno	CA	4.1
36	Fort Worth	TX	4.1
37	Newark	NJ	4.1
38	Nashville	TN	4.1
39	Lexington	KY	4.0
40	Madison	WI	4.0
41	Chula Vista	CA	3.9
42	Fremont	CA	3.8
43	Boise	ID	3.8
44	Albuquerque	NM	3.8
45	Irvine	CA	3.8
46	Scottsdale	AZ	3.8
47	Las Vegas	NV	3.8
48	Baltimore	MD	3.7
49	St. Paul	MN	3.7
50	Winston-Salem	NC	3.7
51	Greensboro	NC	3.7
52	Bakersfield	CA	3.7
53	Long Beach	CA	3.7
54	Garland	TX	3.7
55	Aurora	CO	3.6
56	Anaheim	CA	3.6
57	Virginia Beach	VA	3.5
58	Kansas City	MO	3.5
59	Riverside	CA	3.5
60	Omaha	NE	3.4
61	San Jose	CA	3.4
62	Chesapeake	VA	3.4
63	North Las Vegas	NV	3.4
64	Oklahoma City	OK	3.4
65	St. Petersburg	FL	3.4
66	Arlington	TX	3.4
67	Corpus Christi	TX	3.4
68	Indianapolis	IN	3.4
69	Louisville	KY	3.3
70	Lincoln	NE	3.3
71	Laredo	TX	3.3
72	Santa Ana	CA	3.3
73	Irving	TX	3.3
74	Columbus	OH	3.3
75	Glendale	AZ	3.2
76	Pittsburgh	PA	3.2
77	Buffalo	NY	3.2
78	Colorado Springs	CO	3.2
79	Stockton	CA	3.2
80	Cleveland	OH	3.2
81	Fort Wayne	IND	3.1
82	El Paso	TX	3.0
83	Cincinnati	OH	3.0
84	Wichita	KS	3.0
85	San Antonio	TX	2.9
86	Tulsa	OK	2.9
87	Phoenix	AZ	2.9
88	Reno	NV	2.8
89	Hialeah	FL	2.8
90	Gilbert	AZ	2.8
91	Jacksonville	FL	2.8
92	Mesa	AZ	2.7
93	Durham	NC	2.7
94	Lubbock	TX	2.7
95	Birmingham	AL	2.7
96	Detroit	MI	2.6
97	Memphis	TN	2.5
98	New Orleans	LA	2.2
99	Toledo	OH	2.0
100	Baton Rouge	LA	1.9