Jordi AC/Flickr

Shanghai is the fastest-growing city in the world, according to MetroMonitor, a quarterly analysis from the Brookings Institution that compares the 200 most prosperous metros by income and job growth. The victims of the euro zone crisis dominate the end of the list. Athens, Lisbon, and Dublin, the capitals of the three most endangered nations in Europe's sovereign debt crisis, made up the bottom three.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many cities in China (and Asia) make that list. We shouldn't forget one simple fact though: 'fast-growing', especially when referred to cities, has usually little to do with the pleasantness of the life of its inhabitants.
The report offers other interesting insights, it's well worth a few minutes of your time.