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IOTL, cities like London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Brussels, Hong Kong, etc., have become very successful over the course of centuries and stand among the most influential cities in the world. There are probably as many metrics for "important" or "influential" as there are people, but most can agree somewhat.
What cities could be the most important in an ATL? Perhaps Köln or Berlin in a Germanywank, or Moscow in a russiawank. If Philadelphia had remained the US Capitol, might it have become as important as OTL New York? Might Beijing be the most prominent city in a "China modernizes early" or "China takes over the world" scenario? Maybe one of the old greats, like Rome, Constantinople, or Vienna could stay in the top ranks. Hell, Great Zimbabwe might have a shot with the right POD.