A University of Buenos Aires (UBA) study placed two cities from Santa Fe among the country’s top 10: why

A recent study by the Faculty of Sciences of the National University of Buenos Aires presented a list of the 10 most prominent cities in Argentina in 2025. The report, which can be consulted online, is based on a detailed analysis of data (both proprietary and public) that the researchers used for this purpose.

In that regard, the UBA specialists devised a Strategic City Management Index that is composed of five dimensions: “politics and institutions, economic development, society, environment and technology and infrastructure.” Each dimension is broken down into a set of 31 variables representative of the main priority areas, they explain.

As they clarify in the text, they applied the IGEC “globally to the cities of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario, Santa Fe, Mendoza, San Miguel de Tucumán, Salta, San Juan, Resistencia and Mar del Plata.”

The first point of analysis in the study is the political and institutional dimension of each city analyzed. “The role of variables such as citizen participation and the government’s capacity to implement digital innovation strategies that contribute to administrative efficiency is highlighted,” the report details.

Accordingly, the following variables were considered: Institutional strengthening, Citizen participation, Urban planning, Governance and transparency, Management innovations and Strategic alliances.

In this analyzed dimension, the City of Buenos Aires ranks first, followed by Mendoza, with San Miguel de Tucumán completing the podium. Rosario appears fifth and the city of Santa Fe seventh.

The second dimension aims to analyze the economic development of the cities under scrutiny. The variables considered were: Economic solvency, Management efficiency, Structural competitiveness, Investment attraction, Establishment of cutting‑edge industries, Entrepreneurial ecosystems and International projection.

In this area, the City of Buenos Aires again leads and Rosario is in second position. San Juan is one step below and the city of Santa Fe is fourth, ahead of Córdoba in fifth.

The third dimension concerns social aspects. “Social development, Education, Culture, Urban identity, Health, Security, Employment, Public space” are the variables chosen by the researchers. Here, the City of Buenos Aires appears again as leader, followed by Córdoba, with Mendoza closing the podium. Rosario and Santa Fe ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

The “Environmental” dimension is the fourth point. In this realm, the following variables came into play: City sustainability, Mobility and transport, Green spaces, Energy efficiency, Ecological culture, and Waste management. Here the City of Buenos Aires appears first, followed by Mendoza, with San Miguel de Tucumán completing the top three. Rosario and Santa Fe appear fifth and sixth, respectively, behind Córdoba.

The fourth dimension relates to technology and infrastructure. “Public service infrastructure, Available management technologies, Availability and citizen access to technology, Applied technological innovations” are the variables studied by the UBA experts.

Concretely, the City of Buenos Aires remains first on the list, San Miguel de Tucumán appears second and Córdoba closes the top three. Rosario ranks sixth and Santa Fe falls to ninth place.

The last dimension analyzed by the UBA specialists was Global Strategic Development. In this section, the City of Buenos Aires also heads the ranking and is followed by Mendoza and Córdoba. Rosario appears fifth and the city of Santa Fe seventh.

In summary, the study places each city depending on the results obtained across all dimensions. Thus the global ranking was determined as follows:

In the continuation of the report, the specialists devoted a section to comparing data with 2024.

And they conclude: “The overall valuation of the ten cities studied saw a slight increase of 0.06 points. The Autonomous City of Buenos Aires maintains the highest overall valuation and in each of the dimensions of analysis that it had already obtained in 2024. The capital’s global figures show a stable situation, with values similar to those reached in 2024.”

In this regard, they add: “Mendoza, Córdoba and Rosario also maintain their valuations from the previous year, showing slight increases in their scores.” Regarding the city of Santa Fe they note: “(Together with San Juan) they emerge with slight decreases in their values, although these do not represent significant levels.”

Focusing on the capital of the province of Santa Fe, it should be noted that its overall score improved compared to 2024. That year the same study scored the city founded by Juan de Garay at 2.98, while in 2025 that value rose to 3.17.