World’s

A RANKING OF GLOBAL PLACE EQUITY 2021

Where to live, work, invest and visit

The Performance of the World’s Best Cities: The Methodology — 06 Pc Pd Po Ps Pg Pm World’s Top 100 Cities Profiles — 08

The World’s Best Cities Performance by Category — 52 BESTCITIES.ORG Love cities?

Join WRLDCTY, the planet’s • 3 days to shape the cities of tomorrow and largest virtual cities experience them like never before festival, from home. • 100+ speakers, including Richard Florida, Bjarke Ingels, Jennifer Keesmaat and Chip Conley

• 20+ urban experiences ranging from Sunrise October 22 – 24, 2020 Yoga from Santa Monica to Dim Sum Magic from Accesible for replay anytime. Hong Kong to Burlesque 101 from Brooklyn • Thousands of global citizens and city lovers Learn more at WRLDCTY.com eager to learn about the future of cities WELCOME TO THE 2021 RANKING OF THE WORLD'S BEST CITIES

Resonance Consultancy is building the most comprehensive city rankings on the planet. Here’s why this matters now more than ever.

As leading advisors in tourism, real estate and economic incorporate user-generated data to quantify the number of development for more than a decade, our team has quality restaurants, shops, nightlife and other experiences conducted extensive research on the rise of cities, the key that make urban living so alluring. trends propelling this growth and the factors that shape our perception of urban centers as desirable places to live, visit Based on the data we have collected over the past five years, and invest. we know that a city’s performance for factors such as Face- book check-ins, Instagram mentions, recommended culinary The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us and our cities in experiences, museums, nightlife, culture and shopping have ways none of us have ever experienced before. It’s caused some of the highest correlations with not only the number us to reexamine and rethink the way we’ll want to live, work of visitors a city receives, but with investment and economic and play in the future. If there’s one thing that social distan- growth as well. Rebooting this software of urban experien- cing has taught us, it’s that the shared spaces we were asked ces will be even more important than investments in infra- to close and avoid—from parks to restaurants to sporting structure when it comes to a city’s recovery from this crisis. venues, museums and galleries—are what we cherish most about the cities we live in or love to visit. The rankings for these experiential factors reflect the performance of cities for each metric prior to the crisis. The planet’s large cities—with MSA populations of more than No doubt some restaurants, shops and other unique local a million people—face imminent and myriad challenges that experiences will not survive the loss in clientele and revenue will define their next decade and beyond. that the pandemic has wrought, and the results a year from now may vary significantly from one city to the next. Our Just take two obvious and looming but diametrically data will continue providing a unique perspective to quantify opposed inevitabilities: flight from the perceived density the impact the crisis has had on cities from an experiential danger of pandemic-stricken cities by those with the means, point of view. and the rising homeless population due to unprecedented unemployment and inability to afford housing. But survive they will, and some will even thrive. The most likely candidates being those that sit atop these rankings. The world’s cities would be derailed by just one of those We hope this report will inspire you to celebrate and tsunamis, never mind both barreling down simultaneously. rediscover these global urban centers when the time is To say a reinvention is upon us is an understatement. right. In the meantime, let’s take care of one another and our communities in order to make our cities the best they To capture this reality in our rankings—now in their sixth can possibly be in the weeks, months and years to come. year —we have also expanded and evolved. We have added three new factors to our ranking. For our Prosperity category, To discuss how Resonance can help your city or community, we have added the unemployment rate of a city (as of July please get in touch. 2020, the latest numbers available at press time) and the Gini Index of Income Inequality. In our Place category, we added the number of COVID-19 cases per million (as of July 31, 2020) for each city.

While this Best Cities ranking incorporates standard metrics for factors such as these three new ones, as well as our Chris Fair, President & CEO standards like weather, crime and household incomes, what Resonance Consultancy distinguishes our methodology from all others is that we also [email protected]

RESONANCECO.COM 03 TRAVEL IS A FORCE FOR GOOD

We can play a part in the remaking of the world’s great cities, by supporting local businesses and investing in the same things that make a city great—its culture, its people, and its infrastructure.

As a long-time New Yorker, I find it eerie to see once lively What does it take to be a good guest in a host city? It starts stretches of theaters, comedy clubs, hotels, and cinemas with respecting the city’s rules—masks on, social distancing in boarded or papered up, advertising events from March place—and finding ways to support local communities on the 2020 like they’re frozen in time. COVID has emptied city neighborhood level, even street by street. The world’s great streets in the last six months, prompting some fair-weather cities are rich with personality, and small business owners are locals to claim “NYC is dead.” (Don’t worry: Jerry Seinfeld central to the making, and remaking, of a city. came to the city’s defense.) The notion that a city as vibrant as New York—or London, Paris, Tokyo—could actually So start small: by shopping local and tipping aggressively; by “die” short of nuclear intervention or a revolution is a little going off-peak and seeking out lesser-known sites; by having laughable. But parts like Midtown Manhattan—typically empathy for the people and places you visit. Let your values corridors of white-collar business, nightlife, and culture— lead the way you spend, and this year’s list of the World’s Best do seem to be hibernating. And yes, that can be unnerving Cities, compiled and revised with COVID-era responses in mind for the city that never sleeps. by Resonance Consultancy, set your course for future travel.

But look beyond the financial centers or traditional At AFAR.com, the exclusive editorial partner of Resonance downtowns and you’ll see late-night parties in the parks Consultancy for the World’s Best Cities and America’s Best (on a Sunday, no less). Same for Paris, where its locals are Cities, released this summer, we discuss where, how, and reveling in a city free(er) of tourists. when to be better travelers throughout this crisis. Let’s learn to travel responsibly together. Could COVID prompt a reset of great urban centers around the world? How will they rebound from this pandemic, and how can we continue to support the cities we love from far away? At AFAR, we have believed since the brand’s inception a decade ago in travel as a force for good. Travel does not have to be the villain in the COVID narrative—especially if Laura Dannen Redman we all learn how to travel responsibly. Digital Content Director, AFAR Media

RESONANCECO.COM 04 HOSIER LANE GRAFFITI, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE, GRAFFITI, LANE HOSIER

CONTENTS

The Performance of the World’s Best Cities: The Methodology — 06 World’s Top 100 Cities Profiles — 08 World’s Best Cities Performance by Category — 52 THE PERFORMANCE OF THE WORLD’S BEST CITIES: THE METHODOLOGY

Resonance Consultancy ranks the world’s cities (principal cities of metropolitan areas with populations of more than one million) by using a combination of statistical performance and qualitative evaluations by locals and visitors in 25 areas grouped into six core categories. Principal cities are defined as the largest city in each metropolitan statistical area.

THE SIX CORE CATEGORIES

Pc PLACE Po PEOPLE Pg PROGRAMMING

Pd PRODUCT Ps PROSPERITY Pm PROMOTION

Pc PLACE Pd PRODUCT

Our most layered category quantifies a city’s physical This is a ranking of the “hardware” of a city—often the sense of place. To score a city within our Place category, most difficult metric for cities to get right. Our product we evaluate the perceived quality of its natural and built category studies a city’s key institutions, attractions and environments. From how often the sun shines to the infrastructure. A city’s infrastructure and institutions safety of the streets, several readily measurable, oft-cited shape its identity via the quantity, quality and reputation factors influence our perceptions. of these “products.” Expensive and difficult to develop Weather Average number of sunny days (National and maintain, exceptional, recognizable products are Climatic Data Center, Weatherbase) often found only in large, cosmopolitan cities. Safety Homicide rate (United Nations Office on Drugs and Airport Connectivity Number of direct destinations Crime, UN-Habitat, Eurostat, FBI, and national data sources) served by the city’s airports (Google Flights) Sights & Landmarks Number of quality neighborhoods Attractions Number of quality attractions recommended and landmarks recommended by locals and visitors by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com) (TripAdvisor.com) Museums Number of quality museums and arts institutions Parks & Outdoors Number of quality parks and recommended by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com) outdoor activities recommended by locals and visitors University Ranking Score of the top local university (TripAdvisor.com) (U.S. News & World Report, Best National Universities) COVID-19 Infections Number of COVID-19 cases Convention Center Size of the largest convention center per million (county level data, retrieved July 31, 2020) (official convention center website) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

RESONANCECO.COM 06 Po PEOPLE Ps PROSPERITY

The more diverse a city’s population, the more it A well-paid, economically secure citizenry facilitates produces global ideas… on a local scale. Human capital stewardship and innovation. In general, beliefs about the is often a city’s most valuable resource. To evaluate the wealth and prosperity of a city are shaped by statistics relative strength of human capital from one city to the such as the income of citizens, the standard of living next, we consider the diversity of the city’s population— and the presence or absence of large, recognizable something of proven importance when it comes to corporations—despite the fact that start-ups and attracting talent. innovation increasingly drive a city’s development and Foreign-Born Residents Percentage of foreign-born economic growth. residents (Eurostat, UN Migration, Organisation for Global 500 Number of Global Fortune 500 corporate Economic Co-operation and Development, U.S. Census headquarters (Fortune.com) and national data sources) GDP Per Capita GDP per capita, in U.S. dollars (McKinsey Educational Attainment Percentage of the population Urban World) with a bachelor’s degree or higher (UNESCO Institute for Income Equality The city’s Gini Index, a simple measure of Statistics, OECD, U.S. Census and national data sources) the distribution of income across income percentiles in a population (OECD, IMF, U.S. Census and national data sources) Unemployment Rate The city’s latest unemployment rate that captures job losses as a result of the economic recession caused by COVID-19 (OECD, World Bank, UN-Habitat, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and national data sources)

Pg PROGRAMMING Pm PROMOTION

This category measures the experiential pillars of a great A city’s ability to tell its story (and help others do the visit: food, shows, shopping and nightlife. If our Product same) depends on how it incentivizes and rewards category is the “hardware” of cities and destinations, sharing of experiences by locals and visitors. The number the mosaic of cultural programming and lifestyle and frequency of media coverage, online articles, experiences they offer is the “software” that makes them references and place-based recommendations influence run. While such programming initiatives are individually our perception of cities, whether the news is good or insignificant, their sum fosters a community’s connection bad. Today, residents, businesses and visitors promote a to place. city to the world more than city marketers or chambers Culture Number of quality performing arts and cultural of commerce. Resonance ranks a city’s Promotion experiences recommended by locals and visitors performance based on the number of stories, references (TripAdvisor.com) and recommendations shared online about that city. Nightlife Number of quality nightlife experiences Facebook Check-ins Number of Facebook check-ins recommended by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com) (Facebook.com) Dining Number of quality restaurants and culinary Google Search Number of Google search results experiences recommended by locals and visitors (Google.com) (TripAdvisor.com) TripAdvisor Reviews Number of TripAdvisor reviews Shopping Number of quality shopping experiences (TripAdvisor.com) recommended by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com) Instagram Hashtags Most Instagrammed city (Instagram.com) Google Trends Popularity on Google Trends in the past 12 months (Trends.Google.com)

RESONANCECO.COM 07 CLOUD FOREST, GARDENS BY THE BAY, SINGAPORE World’s leading—like they always have—the recovery and always leading—like they future-defining next stage innovation. human of defines and energy that wealth global culture, the planet. our for forward path the problems manifesting on their streets and in their their and in streets on their problems manifesting hospitals also and seniors homes. But they’re badges of human ingenuity. Yes, they’ve stalled, they’ve Yes, badges ingenuity. human of

exposing long-ignored foundational and institutional and institutional long-ignoredexposing foundational

PROFILES

CITIES TOP 100 Global cities are the engines of the world and the and the engines world the Global the of are cities Their citizens will gather again, colliding and creating and creating colliding again, gather will Their citizens CAMDEN LOCK POPULATION 1 METRO 12,434,823 LONDON UNITED KINGDOM

HIGHLIGHTS As the “capital of capitals” Khan appointed Amy Lamé as the city’s 1 PROMOTION negotiates the uncharted first “Night Czar” who would interface, encourage and be the ambassador for terrain of a post-Brexit all things nocturnal. 2 PROGRAMMING world, for now it still reigns This year, months into the devastation atop the planet’s best cities the pandemic has wrought on every for the fifth year running. industry dependent on conviviality, it’s probably not surprising that the struggling owners of the city’s remaining Since we first began ranking the world’s clubs are calling for a reconsideration best cities, we’ve had a firm, data-driven of the Night Czar role. “I believe that I’m idea about what Best was—prosperity doing the best job I can to support the and opportunity; the magnetic aspects businesses to survive the pandemic,” of cities that draw talent and visitors; Lamé said. That may well be true, but the growth. But as the pandemic grinds task is beyond Herculean. on, our clear definition of Best is losing some of its sharpness. In our report Protecting night culture doesn’t from 2020, Best had much to do with appear high on the list of club goers, quality of life rankings like Programming, London authorities or anyone on the and London was #1—this year #2—for national level, who all have rather a lot that category, which includes Culture, of other fish to fry. Therese Raphael of Restaurants, Shopping and Nightlife. Bloomberg Quint points out that not The nighttime economy was evaluated only did the UK have the highest excess by Ernst & Young at $35 billion back coronavirus death rate in Europe—our in 2014; in 2016, London Mayor Sadiq rankings give London an unimpressive TOWER BRIDGE

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is made possible by a city’s trees and London has established an Ultra Low its green, open landscapes. London Emissions Zone, which penalizes diesel ranks #16 for the quality of its outdoor cars in the city. experiences, many of which come in Perhaps one area that stretches across the form of spectacular parks that are qualities like outdoor experiences, the legacy of dozens of former country prosperity and nightlife in London estates that served as hunting grounds is dining. The struggling restaurant for generations of kings and queens. industry has pivoted creatively, moving But the parks are intimately related onto the streets, embracing the Eat Out to London’s prosperity, and Britain’s to Help Out initiative—early-week half- Office of National Statistics now has price menus at unexpected venues, the numbers to prove it. CityLab’s like the Michelin-starred Social Eating excellent Feargus O’Sullivan shared a House, or the cheerful, delicious Sri report from National Statistics stating Lankan Hoppers. Some restaurants are that “tree cover saved the capital more looking to make the love last beyond than 5 billion pounds (US$6.56 billion) summer and half-price deals. Brat from 2014 to 2018 through air cooling (Welsh for apron) is moving into indoor/ alone. Additionally, by keeping summer outdoor digs for the winter, where temperatures bearable for workers, you can gather “in front of the fires for trees prevented productivity losses of roasted game rice, whole crab with hay almost 11 billion pounds.” With more butter, grilled mushrooms and wood- people working from homes that may fired breads.” not have air conditioning, that’s a significant contribution to wellbeing Prosperity good; nightlife better; 148th spot out of 263 cities for the and the bottom line. And in the UK, outdoor space and fresh air essential; number of COVID-19 cases per million where the Guardian says that toxic air sitting in front of the fire with friends— residents—it also had the deepest is responsible for 40,000 early deaths, that, right there, is the world’s best. drop in growth among the Group of Seven countries: Britain was officially in recession as of August 2020 for the first time since 2008. There’s also the small issue of Brexit, which was entirely eclipsed by the pandemic for months. In early September, with no deal in sight, Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared an October 15 deadline for reaching a trade agreement with Brussels. A “no deal” could throw a match on many issues, including Scotland’s smoldering separation sentiment. There’s been speculation on the impact of Brexit on London’s prosperity ever since the referendum vote was counted in 2016: for 2021, our rankings show the city at #5 for number of Global Fortune 500 companies (identical to 2020), 29th for GDP Per Capita and 52nd for Unemployment. But our new ranking subcategory, the Gini coefficient (which we refer to as Income Equality), shows the city’s alarming disparity between rich and not: London ranks 149th of 263 cities. Could a Brexit deal be an opportunity to redress? Certainly, some of those who voted to leave are hoping, perhaps vainly, that it could be so. While prosperity and nightlife are good indeed, the pandemic has made us value other aspects of city life—critical things, like cool, breathable air, which

OLD AND NEW COLLIDE IN LONDON

RESONANCECO.COM 10 MIDTOWN VIEW IN NYC POPULATION 2 METRO 19,979,477 NEW YORK UNITED STATES

HIGHLIGHTS America’s urban heart was footage had been transformed into a 1 PROGRAMMING broken by the pandemic 1,200-bed field hospital, with room, if necessary, for 2,900. and has a long way back. 2 PROMOTION A year ago, we went on gaily about how New York was reinventing shopping, Here we are, in September, writing a with the mall of the future at Hudson story about the planet’s second-best Yards and Nordstrom and Neiman city. Number one in the U.S. and in many Marcus vying for supremacy in the chic people’s hearts around the world. city. This year, in the #2 shopping city on It’s a grim time to be on top. As cases the planet (behind only Tokyo), there is spiked in March and April, Gotham no breakfast at Tiffany’s. became the nation’s nightmarish New York, to the surprise of no one, coronavirus epicenter. Statewide, more ranks Top 5 in the world for Global 500 than 18,000 COVID-19 patients were companies (#4). And that is part of the in hospitals at one point in April. Daily enduring allure of the city—the magical deaths peaked at 799 in April, and have thinking that if you hustle hard enough, totaled over 24,000. anyone could be persuaded to meet A few short months ago, all the data with you, that the entrepreneur sitting made sense. While New York ranks next to you at WeWork might just be the just 64th for the size of its convention next big thing, and you might be part of center, the Jacob. K. Javits Center was in it—and you, you of all people, can make the process of being renovated to twice it here, just like the song promises. its enormity. Most recently, its square

THE VESSEL

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In New York, you shake hands (shake New York restaurants, #9 on the hands!), two humans pressing flesh planet, pivoted faster than most in the mutual interest of apprising the businesses, almost instantly potential of one to advance the other. becoming take-out and delivery operations wherever it was humanly In 2020, in the storied Financial possible. Food world icon David District, only the stock market moves, Chang, chef of Momofuku Noodle sometimes wildly. Bar and a dozen other restaurants In the world’s top-ranked city for around the world, creator of the Culture (which factors in the number Ugly Delicious show, said he thought of quality concerts, shows and events), delivery would come to dominate the MOMA is helping parents teach slowly, over a decade or more, and art from home with “family art-making now it’s upon us. Speaking with the activities in English and Espanol,” and New York Times, he surveyed the the Metropolitan Opera is streaming eclipsed scene in despair. “I’m not performances nightly. We all pine being hyperbolic in any way,” he said. for the frisson of walking into the “We have ingredients that if you don’t red velvet–lined jewel box that is the sell, they literally deteriorate. It’s the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln most exposed business. There’s a lot Center, gazing up at the vast Chagalls, of successful chefs I know who have watching the dazzling crowd. five to nine days left of money. And then what do you do? I don’t know.” With Broadway still officially shut down, the district where the show must go on Nobody knows, of course, which is is shuttered, a drama. In the city that the terrible crux of the matter. New never sleeps, #2 for Nightlife, night owls York is, above all, a gathering place order delivery and dream fitfully at home, where brains and bodies in indecent pivoting to an abnormal new normal. proximity to one another create the

sparks of genius, invention, progress. Those 7 p.m. pots and pans clanging in unison have faded, but New Yorkers stand at the ready, together and alone, on their stoops and balconies ready to defend their city. These days, vague federal threats of defunding and shadowy armies against calls for justice and reform loom over the city along with an invisible virus. New York is #10 in our Attractions subcategory, those places that irresistibly draw humanity from around the world. In the past decade, New York has enjoyed dizzying increases in tourism arrivals, and 64.2 million visitors jostled with locals last year, a record. Now, as New York curmudgeon Fran Lebowitz moaned to Michael Schulman in The New Yorker, “For at least 20 years, I have been dreaming of the time there were no tourists in Times Square. Now there are no tourists in Times Square, but, of course, there’s no one in Times Square.” Nobody knows when any of this ends, but New York understands a thing or two about coming back from terrible brinks. 9/11 is more than a vague memory. SARS came and went. However the world emerges, evolves or pivots out of our collective force majeure, it will happen here first. New York is, after all, #1—or thereabouts.

THEATER DISTRICT

RESONANCECO.COM 12 GRANDE ARCHE DE LA DÉFENSE, PUTEAUX POPULATION 3 METRO 12,824,378 PARIS FRANCE

HIGHLIGHTS Just as terrorism subsided, Paris matched its 2018 in 2019, with 35.4 3 PRODUCT the Notre-Dame inferno million visitors, according to Statista. struck Parisian resolve The City of Light ranks #3 in our Product 3 PROMOTION anew. But the City of Light category, with the second-best Airport Connectivity in the world, a #5 ranking builds on resiliently. for Museums (the city has more than a hundred) and #7 for Attractions. Leading On April 15, 2019, as the Notre-Dame up to the 2024 Summer Olympics, cathedral went up in flames, people in infrastructure investment has sped up Paris gathered in the streets to pray. and the city continues to build hotels at a Joining them was just about everyone dizzying rate. Two dozen opened in 2019 else across the globe with access to and the same amount were scheduled to a screen. This, of course, was not an debut in 2020, including the first Bulgari isolated catastrophe for the French Hotel at 30 Avenue George V. There have capital over the past few years. But been plenty of pandemic-related delays. despite multiple terrorist attacks and As the saying goes, Paris is always a the destruction of its iconic cathedral— good idea. And now that swimming seemingly insurmountable disaster in the waters of the Seine is a thing at and hardship—Paris prevails and comes Bassin de la Villette public pools, even back brighter. the locals who notoriously leave town in Amazingly, despite the tragic fire and summer are sticking around. a year of the Yellow Vest protests that City Hall is promising to build five new deterred tourists from visiting the city, outdoor swimming pools in time for

THE TOUR D2 BUILDING IN LA DÉFENSE DISTRICT

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the Olympics. So even though Paris is Run by the city’s renowned chain of now #26 globally for Parks & Outdoors rooftop venues, Le Perchoir, the farm will in 2020, it’s a category ranking that have an on-site restaurant and bar with should improve. menus showcasing seasonal produce as well as educational tours, team-building Meanwhile, a whole host of rooftop workshops and the chance for local plantations have been cropping residents to lease small vegetable plots up atop buildings across the city. of their own. The newest and most striking just opened in July 2020 in the 15th The city nabs the #3 spot in our Shopping arrondissement. The urban oasis atop category, behind only Tokyo and New the exhibition complex Paris Expo York. Paris continues to improve its Porte de Versailles is the largest urban shopping experience by scrubbing a few rooftop farm on the planet. Tended identified streets and sprinkling them by some 20 gardeners using organic with additional police presence, and methods, the three-acre farm will by encouraging local business through feature more than 30 different plant strictly enforced rent caps. With its full species and is expected to produce renovation complete, the Ateliers Gaîté around 2,200 pounds of fruit and shopping mall, near Montparnasse vegetables every day in high season. Tower, is open for business, with more than 100 shops on three floors and a “The goal is to make the farm a globally 25-restaurant food hall. Architect Bjarke recognized model for sustainable Ingels will unveil the massive (and production,” says Pascal Hardy, impeccably landscaped) Europa City founder of Agripolis, the urban-farming mixed-use development in the city’s company at the center of the project. northern agricultural district of Triangle “We’ll be using quality products, grown de Gonesse. in rhythm with nature’s cycles, all in the heart of Paris.”

PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA

RESONANCECO.COM 14 POPULATION 4 METRO 17,125,000 MOSCOW RUSSIA

HIGHLIGHTS “FLOATING BRIDGE” IN PARK ZARYAD’YE

1 PRODUCT of Muscovites has traveled the world, returning with suitcases full of ideas that they’re unpacking to huge effect 2 EDUCATIONAL in their always-proud city, sanctions ATTAINMENT be damned. The fact that Moscow boasts the world’s second-most educated citizenry in the world (only Russia’s beguiling capital behind St. Petersburg) also helps. is a cultural gold mine But you need to be schooled in the classics to appreciate the contemporary. spanning the ages. Moscow ranks #3 in our Place category, which includes Sights & Landmarks and Any traveler to Russia will tell you Parks & Outdoors. The Russian capital that Russian influence—at least over ascended this vital category rapidly visitors to the country’s capital—is a over the past two years, powered by the very real thing: you’ll fall under the aggressive (and divisive) four-year-old spell of Moscow the minute you set My Street program. Costing more than through 85,000 pieces of space- foot in this endlessly fascinating and $3 billion, according to local sources, related stuff, including the taxidermied dynamic destination. Curiosity about My Street is narrowing Stalin’s tank remains of Belka and Strelka, famed Russia has increased as political intrigue avenues (and Moscow’s car-centric canine cosmonauts. But once you’ve has grown, which might explain why roads) into more walkable experiences. paid your respects, make a beeline to Moscow was the 14th-most trending Small wonder it’s now a Top 5 most Gorky Park, home to the $27-million city over the past year, according hashtagged global city on Instagram. Garage Museum of Contemporary to our Google Search ranking. Art, masterminded by entrepreneur Parks are also suddenly on the drawing Ilya Oskolkov-Tsentsiper, bankrolled The global fascination has as much to board, with Zaryadye, the city’s first by philanthropist Dasha Zhukova (wife do with the spectacular 2018 FIFA World major park opening since the end of of billionaire Roman Abramovich) and Cup (Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in World War II, cutting the ribbon on designed by Dutch architect Rem the city’s 360-acre Olympic complex almost 20 green acres beside the Koolhaas. It sits in an enormous former hosted the pivotal final matches) as Kremlin in 2018. With a museum, Soviet restaurant re-clad in a plastic with the Kremlin’s global ambitions. concert hall and subterranean food that reflects the clouds and refurbished Accessing all this excitement has hall, this multi-level space is very greenery of an entirely spectacular park. never been easier as the curious and intentionally designed to be a gathering opportunistic can fly into Moscow place in the bosom of Mother Russia. The area has become a gathering with ease: the city ranks #4 for Airport place for immersing yourself in both Moscow is a city of symbols and icons, Connectivity, up one spot over last year. Moscow’s nature and its culture. One of and of course you’ll take in Red Square the museum’s young curators remarked Once you’re on the ground, the and the Kremlin, two of the city’s that it’s one of the only places in Russia recently renovated Moscow subway UNESCO heritage sites. Moscow is #6 where you can speak Russian and still is increasingly the envy of many in the world for Programming, which feel you belong to some international Western capitals, as much for its includes a #3 ranking for Culture, so context. All Moscow pride—no Gorky improved efficiency and reach as you’d best get to the Bolshoi, a bastion Park Cold War sweats here. Other for its regally art-stuffed stations. of classic ballet and Russian intrigue. places to take in the modern art vibe of Whatever brings you to the city, you’re Moscow ranks first in the world for Moscow include the ARTPLAY Design in for an experience at stark odds with Product, which includes our Museums Center, a unique mash-up of art and the West’s continuously dismaying subcategory. The Tretyakov Gallery architecture across the street from news about Russia. Moscow is what and Pushkin State Museum of Fine the sprawling Winzavod Center for Travel + Leisure calls a “revolution of Arts are necessary pilgrimages to Contemporary Art, a 215,000-square- creativity,” giving it an atmosphere of understand Russia’s contribution to foot cultural center divided into seven young, free-thinking exuberance that world culture. There are wonderful buildings housing the city’s leading has touched every aspect of city life, detours to be made to the Museum of designers and photographers, along from its art and food scenes to quirky, Soviet Arcade Machines or the Museum with galleries, artists’ studios, cafés, only-in-Russia shared workspaces. The of Cosmonautics, where you can admire creative showrooms, children’s studios, first so-called “post- Soviet generation” Soviet accomplishments in the cosmos bookstores and a multitude of activities.

RESONANCECO.COM 15 POPULATION 5 METRO 37,977,000 TOKYO JAPAN

HIGHLIGHTS visitors with its innovation, efficiency Tokyo is moving far beyond its 1 PLACE and round-the-clock kinetic mobility. internationally beloved food traditions. It earned the #1 rank in Shopping for its The metropolis offers as many world-class experiences, like Ginza’s restaurants as the rest of our Top 5 3 PROGRAMMING luxury department stores, newly cities combined—more than 100,000 enhanced with the art-bedecked and in total, so visitors and residents alike sharply designed Ginza SIX shopping could never hope to experience them center. Tokyo boasts the second most all. Iconic spots like Den (among the top The futuristic metropolis restaurants of any city worldwide, and restaurants in Asia) abound, while busy is tapping its ancient ranks #6 in our Culture subcategory depachiku (food halls) can be explored (and #3 overall in our Programming below ground all over the city for a feudal roots by investing category)—even with the postponement much—much—more affordable price. in street-level livability of the 2020 Olympics. The show will go Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many and resident wellbeing— on in 2021, pandemic permitting. restaurants have switched to take-out or reduced hours, but the overall sense is Olympics or no Olympics. Here, the famous pulsating Nightlife (#9) one of perseverance. can be experienced any way you like, Despite earthquakes, tsunamis and from the glaring lights of Shibuya to Tokyo ranks #18 for Parks & Outdoors; typhoons, Tokyo grabbed the #1 the, well, glaring red lights of Kabukicho. indeed, parks are considered vital spot for Safety. Which is helpful in For a more low-key bar scene, Zoetrope infrastructure here, and essential a place with so much to explore and in Shinjuku offers an awe-inspiring therapy for its vertical-living citizens. discover at all hours of the night. selection of Japan’s famous whisky. Take, for instance, the Meiji Jingu Tokyo continues to mesmerize global With a #2 global rank for Restaurants, shrine—tucked into dense woodland in the heart of the city—which celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2020. Then there’s teamLab Borderless in the Mori Building, a new kind of digital art museum without boundaries, where visitors wander and explore, map-free, while immersing themselves in a three- dimensional world. This is just the latest addition to the city’s 250-plus museums. It’s no wonder, then, that Tokyo ranks #4 globally in our Museums subcategory. The wave of Japan’s economic revival under Abenomics—the economic policies advocated by departing Prime Minister Shinzō Abe—may have crested thanks to the pandemic, but Tokyo retains the #3 spot for Prosperity globally. That’s driven mainly by a low unemployment rate (ranking #11) and the second-highest number of Global 500 headquarters. Some are household (or at least garage) names: Toyota, Acura, Subaru, Mitsubishi. But SoftBank, while it funds disruptive start-ups around the world, is also changing Japanese business, offering rarely seen perks and benefits to its workers. Japan’s record level of female participation in the workforce is also reflected at the company.

THE CHIDORIGAFUCHI MOAT

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HIGHLIGHTS AL SHINDAGHA MUSEUM

2 PLACE

2 PEOPLE

An alluring blend of over- the-top experiences, Arab heritage and luxury shopping, Dubai rises from the golden sands like a mirage.

Dubai is a city of superlatives: you can ride the elevator to the top of the world’s tallest building for a bird’s-eye view, bet on the ponies at the world’s richest horse race and pose for photos in front of the world’s tallest choreographed fountains. These experiences are not by accident: the city reinvented itself yet again throughout the 2010s, growing from a sterile playground for a handful of ultra-rich Emiratis to an international tourism and business destination. That has helped to attract the second-highest proportion of foreign-born citizens of any city worldwide, and they’re a sharp crowd, ranking #16 for Educational Attainment globally. Dubai’s next challenge will be weathering the storm of COVID-19. Even after a first wave that saw 6,021 cases per million residents, Dubai is hoping Cityland Mall, the world’s first “nature developments, the Palm Islands and to bring back the tourists who have inspired” shopping mall, opened in 2019 World Islands. There’s dune bashing become critical to its economy. In 2019, and packed with botanical touches, in the desert, a high-octane way to the city welcomed 16.7 million tourists; including 200,000 square feet of open- experience the environment around the it will be lucky to see a fraction of that in air gardens. Likewise, the Burj Khalifa’s city. And Dubai has even pioneered the 2020, despite a worldwide campaign to time in the sun may be nearing an end: sport of sandboarding, which is exactly reassure visitors of its COVID-19 safety. Santiago Calatrava’s Tower at Dubai what it sounds like. The most visited mall on the planet is Creek will eclipse the skyscraper as Amongst all the glitz and adrenaline, here, and helps Dubai climb to #26 in the tallest building in the world when Dubai has some oases of calm. Sufouh our Shopping subcategory. It would be completed, in 2021 at the earliest. Beach, nestled between the opulence a mistake to focus on the “mall” part of But it’s the outdoors that really clinched of the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab and the the name, however; like the city itself, Dubai’s #6 overall ranking. The city offers Palm Jumeirah, is not well advertised so the Dubai Mall is more of an attempt outdoor experiences that rank fifth-most there’s plenty of white sand and azure to capture every human experience in quality, and it hit the Top 10 for both water for everyone. The XVA Café, inside and repackage it for consumption. It Safety and Weather, both at #8. All the the XVA Gallery, is a stunning, airy space has the aforementioned world’s tallest better to chase thrills among Dubai’s with rotating gallery pieces, a perfect tower, the Burj Khalifa, and one of the plentiful extreme sport offerings. There’s place to have a quiet conversation or largest aquarium tanks anywhere. The skydiving over the city’s more fanciful read a book. city’s reinvention goes on through

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HIGHLIGHTS (yes, many would say “heavy-handed”) Today, manifestations of this wealth and 3 SAFETY approach to urban planning that confident swagger are everywhere. From considers needs that reach far beyond the heights of the cranes on the horizon the next election. to the gilded facades of Orchard Road— 5 GDP PER CAPITA Singapore’s version of Fifth Avenue for Singapore’s reinvestment into research, high-end fashion and entertainment—the talent and corporate headquarters city knows its affluent global audience: recruitment ensures it will be home moneyed wanderers who seek efficiency, to a sustainably wealthy citizenry for security and exoticism. Asia’s financial powerhouse decades to come. It’s why the city-state turns its ambitions to continues its ascent among the planet’s Only in Singapore does an airport most prosperous cities, with a growing become a must-see attraction, one that elevated infrastructure and cluster of Global 500 companies receives millions of passengers a year but homegrown innovation. (ranking #30 overall). also lures locals with a bounty of designer shops, gardens, gourmet food and The government has already committed Few cities have achieved as much, as one-of-a-kind sights. Opened in 2019 and $16 billion to establish Singapore as quickly, as the city-state of Singapore designed by Safdie Architects, the new a global research and development has over the past five decades. $1.7-billion Jewel Changi Airport features hub. Its 2020 Research, Innovation The meteoric rise from politically a canopy bridge and glass walkway and Enterprise Plan aimed to duplicate unstable, resource-poor and unskilled shrouded in fog and suspended 75 feet Nordic and Israeli innovation and R&D, ex-colony to talent- and capital-hungry in the air. But the real showstopper is much of which will strengthen local shipping hub (the world’s busiest) the seven-story Rain Vortex, an indoor universities. This focus on research, and, subsequently, Asia’s wealth waterfall (the world’s tallest) that medicine and tech is designed to open management capital is place-brand cascades down from a central oculus in another front for Singapore—one that engineering at its most ambitious. the roof. Although Singapore lands at #57 complements its financial dominance. for Airport Connectivity, it would medal The result is Singapore as a fast- It builds on the human capital of the for its gateway’s experience alone if we emerging Asian financial superpower citizenry, already Top 5 in our GDP Per scored such things. whose city leaders take a methodical Capita subcategory.

MARINE BAY

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CATALAN STREET HIGHLIGHTS

3 NIGHTLIFE

5 TRIPADVISOR REVIEWS

The defiant Catalan capital was the poster child of global overtourism— and its solutions. That is, before the pandemic.

Barcelona is an almost ideal European city, one with near-perfect weather year round, miles and miles of beaches, iconic parks, striking architecture and colorful neighborhoods that march to their own beat—artistic, sophisticated, bohemian. No wonder it ranks Top 10 in our Place category, which measures both the natural and built environments of a city. Steeped in history and wearing its cultural identity proudly on its sleeve, the capital of Catalonia is an autonomous region of Spain with a history of attempted secession—as the October 2017 attempt to leave and resulting police violence that flashed across screens globally demonstrated yet again. Despite five years of terrorist attacks and mass protests, tourism dipped only momentarily before bouncing back— to the possible dismay of the many locals who see the crowds as a threat to their city. Barcelona responded For a city with the #3 ranking for global with programs aimed at controlling Nightlife, this is catastrophic. It’s the effects of runaway tourism—like impossible to predict when it will be real estate investors who snatch up once again possible to fuel up on tapas apartments only to rent them on Airbnb, on Las Ramblas to get the night started depleting an already limited supply. before exploring the hidden speakeasies Ultimately the pandemic took care of of Barri Gòtic, Europe’s largest Gothic “the tourist problem,” with devastating quarter and the heart of Barcelona, then results. Infection flareups meant that grabbing an Uber to the industrial-sized tourist founts like France have banned clubbing of Port Olímpic. When the all citizen travel to the Barcelona world reemerges from the pandemic, region and local sources estimate Barcelona’s fifth-most TripAdvisor that almost 40% of the shuttered bars reviews among the world’s cities and restaurants may never reopen. will surely need a somber rewrite.

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HIGHLIGHTS L.A.—and Mayor Eric Garcetti—into cultural institutions under development 3 UNIVERSITY the spotlight. The city was the first or opening soon. For example, a metropolis in the U.S. to demand almost public art project called Destination full closure, “and the biggest city to Crenshaw is being built by and for the 7 PROMOTION go to full closure of all nonessential African American community along businesses,” the mayor pointed out the newest Metro rail line, which runs recently. Combine that foresight with the iconic Crenshaw Boulevard. The California’s fast action on lockdowns, 1.3-mile-long outdoor art and culture Los Angeles keeps breaking and L.A. is positioned to come back experience will display works of Black brighter. At least when the sun isn’t artists centered on themes of activism tourism records as it rolls blocked out by the smoke from nearby and history. And 2022 is the expected out more multi-billion- wildfires that have become synonymous opening date for the first permanent dollar infrastructure with late-summer in recent years. location of the Korean American National Museum, where the mission L.A.’s cultural and culinary leaders— project after another. is to preserve and interpret the history, so willing to step up and declare the experiences, culture and achievements city open for business after a series of Los Angeles has always had “star” of Americans from Korean ancestry. natural disasters, helping the city rank power, but when Michelin announced in Designed by local architecture firm #7 in our Promotion category—will be June 2019 that 24 Greater Los Angeles Morphosis, the venue’s interior will called upon again soon. They’ll do their area restaurants had been awarded feature a fluid, interconnected ring of best to keep their city’s #9 ranking in the with its most prestigious accolade in galleries, meeting rooms and offices subcategory of Facebook Check-ins, #10 its inaugural Michelin Guide California styled to echo the classic courtyard for Instagram Hashtags and impressive selection, it suddenly meant more plan of a traditional Korean hanok. #5 for Google Search. Anything to get than just A-listers and cinema cachet. the City of Angels off the ground. Sports fans in the city will finally get Indeed, of the seven new two-star to experience the 70,000-seat SoFi distinctions in the Guide, six are in L.A., “Los Angeles is a literal melting pot Stadium at Hollywood Park now that further cementing its standing as “the of talent with chefs hailing from a the complex has opened. Billed as the Most Exciting Food City in America.” mosaic of cultures who are open to future of sports and entertainment, the experimentation and innovation. Mix Of course all that means little when venue houses the Los Angeles Chargers in access to the country’s best produce sheltering in place has shuttered and the 2019 NFC Conference champion and an audience of Angelenos who hundreds of those exciting dining spots. Los Angeles Rams. The state-of-the- celebrate creativity and you’ve got L.A.’s The COVID-19 outbreak has launched art, open-air stadium will also host formula for being the most exciting food Super Bowl LVI in 2022, the College city,” said Stacey Sun, executive director Football National Championship game of the city’s dineL.A. program, which in 2023 and the opening and closing celebrates L.A.’s thriving global culinary ceremonies of the 2028 Olympics. scene through two annual restaurant week programs, Winter dineL.A. and Breathing new life into neighborhoods Summer dineL.A. Unsurprisingly, the from DTLA to Hollywood is a slew of city ranks high in our Restaurants new boutique hotels, most with chef- subcategory, reaching #15 globally. led dining programs. There’s the freshly minted Hoxton LA, for example, set Speaking of food, when it opens— in a transformed 1925 building that eventually—on Olvera Street at LA was once the headquarters of the L.A. Plaza Village, LA Plaza Cocina will be Railway Authority. Another 13 new hotels the first museum and teaching kitchen were set to open over the next two dedicated to Mexican food in the U.S. years, before the COVID-19 outbreak, Through an array of exhibitions, cooking including a new project from Grupo classes, lectures, workshops and Habita—the hotel group has developed culinary festivals, the multidisciplinary some of the hippest hotels in Mexico, venue aims to educate visitors and Chicago and New York—that takes celebrate Mexico’s culinary heritage. over a 109-year-old brick warehouse Los Angeles ranks #18 globally in in the Arts District and transforms our Museums subcategory, which it with modern accommodations, a is exemplified by a blossoming of rooftop lounge, garden and pool.

THE GETTY CENTER

RESONANCECO.COM 20 POPULATION 10 METRO 6,791,667 MADRID SPAIN

HIGHLIGHTS With this much-needed investment The ambitious and futuristic Nuevo 8 PROGRAMMING in its bounteous (but long-dormant) Norte redevelopment project, with infrastructure and public assets, the a focus on meeting UN Sustainable Spanish capital is finally reviving its city- Development Goals, promises to be a 21 PLACE building legacy. roadmap for what a sustainable, livable inner-city development can be. That But museums are just the tip of the bodes well for its current middling spear for the city. In Madrid, everything score (coming in at #80) for Income old is new again. It’s not just the well- Equality. The project is set to break Spain’s kinetic capital known cultural richness; Madrid is, ground in 2021. is currently enjoying a more importantly, finally committed to the modern reinvention of the city The pandemic put an instant and people-powered rebirth. focused on its citizenry. The Buen Retiro long-lasting halt to most of the city’s (“pleasant retreat”) park in the city center concerts, shows and events, which Madrid suffered greatly during the was formerly owned by the monarchy, had earned it a respectable #11 rank pandemic, with more COVID-19 cases but in 1868 was handed to the public— for Culture. Those large events are than any other Top 20 city outside of who have made plenty of use of it ever expected to continue to wither as the United States. It was the world’s first since. Among its grand gardens and large crowds continue to present an wake-up call outside of Asia that the new buildings left over from its royal past, intolerable risk. coronavirus was a real and imminent sharp-eyed visitors can see a rare public Thankfully, with investments to outdoor threat that could bring entire countries monument to Satan at the Fountain of dining and walking infrastructure, the to their knees. But the city, a newcomer the Fallen Angel. It’s an essential piece city with the #6 best Nightlife on the to the Top 10, is getting back on its feet of infrastructure for a city that needs planet (just behind Berlin and ahead after a prolonged lockdown. plentiful outdoor space, now more of Paris) is finally making it easier and than ever. Madrid’s #18 ranking in our Its dazzling #22-ranked museums have more pleasant to stay out late. The Sights & Landmarks subcategory is well reopened—at reduced capacity—and near-perfect climate (ranking #32 in earned, given long overdue big-budget with recent expansions to the Prado, Weather) doesn’t hurt, either. projects like making the central Gran Vía Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza. boulevard far more pedestrian friendly.

THE BOTANICAL GARDEN IN MADRID’S ATOCHA TRAIN STATION

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POPULATION METRO 4,429,025 POPULATION METRO 9,497,790 POPULATION METRO 6,871,000

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

2 TRIPADVISOR REVIEWS 7 GLOBAL 500 COMPANIES 3 PEOPLE

6 SHOPPING 9 PRODUCT 8 GLOBAL 500 COMPANIES

The Eternal City has always been America’s great Midwest metropolis Economic growth, fueled coveted. These days, the bounty is has an abundance of programming by immigration and global an immersive step back in time. and culture, with the deep investment, have Canada’s largest infrastructure and affordability city poised for big things. Few cities serve up the ability to walk that eludes many cities. the history of the Western world like With almost half of its population Roma. Heck, Palatine Hill alone invites Few American cities fell harder in visitor foreign-born, Toronto’s #13 spot among you into two millennia of Western numbers in recent months than Chicago. the world’s cities—it’s highest finish civilization, if you’ve got an hour. Mix Whether for business or pleasure, the ever—is powered by diversity and a safe, accessible modern city and its city had been attracting tourism at education, the two components of our thousands of portals back in time and it’s record-breaking levels year after year. People category, for which the city easy to see how Rome almost cracked Indeed, when Rahm Emanuel won the ranks #3, just behind Dubai and Abu the Best Cities Top 10 again this year. mayorship in 2011, an estimated 39 Dhabi. But Toronto’s diversity is less Declarations of love for the city have million people a year visited Chicago. tied to migrant labor and more to the multiplied with the channels of self- By the time he wrapped up his final term long-term opportunity in a city that expression, of course, and the city’s #7 in 2019, that number had ballooned to earlier this summer was crowned as the ranking in our extensive Place category nearly 58 million annual visitors—an fastest growing metropolitan area in all has directly fueled its #5 Promotion impressive tourism feat and perhaps of North America. As in, the continent. ranking, including the second-most the biggest success story of Emanuel’s Ryerson University’s Centre for Urban number of TripAdvisor reviews on mayoral tenure. In the last few years, the Research and Land Development the planet and very frequent Google Windy City pursued and acquired some revealed that Toronto overtook Dallas– searches. How can it not when so many big-ticket draws, including the NFL Draft, Fort Worth–Arlington for the top spot. sing its praises. Take, for one, the late, the James Beard Foundation Awards and Getting less attention is the projection great chef and scribe Anthony Bourdain: the Laver Cup. It also bolstered tourist- by the University of Toronto that, in “If I’m in Rome for only 48 hours, I would friendly attractions like the Riverwalk less than 50 years, the city will trail consider it a sin against God to not and events that showcase Chicago’s only New York City and Mexico City eat cacio e pepe, the most uniquely craft beer scene. Its #13 ranking in our in North American population. The Roman of pastas, in some crummy little Programming category—including #7 city’s openness, combined with its joint where Romans eat.” The curiosity in Culture and #11 for global Nightlife— economy (with the eighth-most Global about the Eternal City will only increase speaks to the plentiful buzz that Chicago 500 head offices in the world) has as Rome reopens carefully to visitors, was perfecting before everything ground resulted in unprecedented density who, after gorging on six months of to a halt. In the not-too-distant future, the and a satisfaction with just staying local ’Grams featuring empty summer Obama Presidential Center—to be set in put, sated by real estate wealth and streets and iconic sites with nary a Jackson Park—will become a marquee the comfort that the world is already tourist umbrella to clutter the shot, are attraction on Chicago’s South Side. “I in town. Of course, winning the first keen to time their return before the think President Obama’s library can do for NBA title outside of the U.S. in history crowds come back. As of late summer tourism what McCormick Place has done doesn’t hurt the local pride, either. 2020, most sights were reopened, as for business travel in the city,” Emanuel were most bars and restaurants. It’s not noted during his time as mayor. The city’s exactly la dolce vita quite yet, but Roma #32 ranking for Museums among global has persevered once again. cities will surely improve as a result. RESONANCECO.COM 22 14 SAN FRANCISCO 15 ABU DHABI 16 ST. PETERSBURG UNITED STATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES RUSSIA

POPULATION METRO 4,729,484 POPULATION METRO 1,270,000 POPULATION METRO 5,230,000

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2 UNIVERSITY 1 PEOPLE 10 PLACE

7 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 4 PROSPERITY 10 PRODUCT

Job opportunities and The UAE’s second city passes on There are many cities that vie for infrastructure buildout the ostentatious and pursues the title of Venice of the North. pave the way as the world the culturally significant. Only St. Petersburg is worthy. continues to rush in. While Dubai has massive shopping Imperial capital for two centuries, San Francisco has embraced seekers malls and world’s biggest, tallest and city of 40 islands and 342 bridges, since the Gold Rush days, when, most expensive everything, Abu Dhabi St. Petersburg has been steadily seemingly overnight, people came is quietly continuing its promotion and climbing the rankings from #54 to #35 from Asia and Europe, from across the focus on heritage and a rich cultural and now within sight of the Top 10. It continent and from the other side of tapestry. It invests in bringing artists and owes much of that recognition to its the world for their shot at the California creators as guests for residencies and overwhelming saturation in arts and Dream. Along the way, these immigrants multi-show dates. The city has a knack education: its population claimed the have sowed the seeds for the city’s for attracting international permanent #1 spot for Educational Attainment in a open-minded attitude toward, well, talent as well, hitting #1 in our Foreign- city boasting more than 45 colleges and everything. The result is a place that Born Residents subcategory, and universities—some dating back nearly doesn’t just welcome differences, but leaping 90 places in the rankings for our three centuries. The word “museum” actually encourages and celebrates Educational Attainment subcategory, gets redefined at the State Hermitage, them. No wonder it ranks #6 globally all the way up to #16. The buzz could be one of the largest museums in the in our People category, including #7 because the city is positioning itself as world, with an exquisite, sea-green for Educational Attainment and #23 for a leading global arts and culture hub, Winter Palace so beautiful it could melt Foreign-Born Residents. The promise with the world’s largest mosque, and a czar’s heart. Not surprisingly, the of high salaries means a torrent of museums designed by just about every city ranks #2 for Museums and #4 for global workers fuel the city’s ambition starchitect you can think of. While the Attractions. The city places #3 in our and ideas, ranking it #9 in our GDP Nouvel-designed Louvre Abu Dhabi is Sights & Landmarks category, meaning Per Capita subcategory and #20 for already open, the city is hard at work you need to roam Palace Square, Nevsky Global 500 companies. The city is also on Saadiyat Island on the construction Prospekt—the elegant geographical pursuing inclusivity and taking care of of a Norman Foster-designed Zayed anchor of the city—and around Square its own—from COVID-19 patients to the National Museum, a Frank Gehry- of the Arts and the Summer Gardens. swelling homeless population. “We’re designed Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, And don’t miss White Nights in early the city of St. Francis, and if we don’t Tadao Ando’s Maritime Museum and summer. Few European cities rival lead on this, then shame on us,” said a Performing Arts Centre by the late this celebration of the city’s sense of Joe D’Alessandro, CEO of San Francisco Zaha Hadid. The city’s #239 ranking place, nor the general atmosphere Travel. “As a DMO we’re taking a leading for Museums is bound to improve in in the city come summer—friendly, role on this... looking for small fixes until coming years. In the #3-ranked city for ‘Grammable and oh so romantic. we can figure it out federally.” With that our Weather subcategory, you need kind of local support, the city is charging not go far for a place in the sun. into the current crisis well equipped.

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POPULATION METRO 2,771,661 POPULATION METRO 5,259,363 POPULATION METRO 2,259,981

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19 PROGRAMMING 17 PRODUCT 12 PROGRAMMING

Surprised to see a mid-sized Germany has evolved into a Still the fascinating gateway European capital with a fading symbol of tolerance. No other city into Eastern Europe’s secrets, party rep ranked so high? You in the country embodies these Praha radiates confidence and obviously haven’t visited in a while. sentiments quite like its capital. dares visitors to keep up.

It may be better known for its raunchy Expats, creatives, entrepreneurs, “Egalitarian” is an odd word to apply nightlife—still going strong at #10— immigrants, punks and misfits all to a city in which the most prominent but Amsterdam is stepping away from find their place in Berlin, a city where feature is a huge walled castle, but its seedier elements, going so far as remnants of a fragile history mingle with Prague claims #4 worldwide for Income to ban guided tours of its red-light an ever-changing present, and where Equality and #7 in our Unemployment district while it considers corralling sex being whatever you want to be is not just subcategory. That’s not to say it’s work and foreigner-friendly cannabis encouraged but embraced. Though it abandoned the indulgent splendor of cafés in a special zone. The city has was spared the COVID-19 numbers other the past: Prague’s fairy-tale spirit can doubled down on its enviable culture, European capitals experienced during still be found in its century-old cobbled connectivity and quality of life. New the first wave (possibly thanks to the streets and its (publicly accessible) museums open regularly, kicked off in country’s science-friendly attitude and castle perched on a hilltop, in its hidden 2016 by the Warhol and Banksy-stuffed chancellor) the city still had to cancel alleys, grand squares, ancient bridges Moco, followed by renovations to three its celebration of diversity, Karneval der and dreamy spires. But take a closer of the city’s most important museums— Kulturen, while the famed Berlin Pride look and you’ll see a city constantly the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh and the Celebration went virtual. In a normal reshaped by citizens eager to write Stedelijk. Not surprisingly, Amsterdam winter, bars are packed to the gills and their own history. Here you can find ranks #12 globally in our Museums techno clubs pulse into the wee hours— shopping that’s at once sophisticated subcategory, climbing the ranks for two the city hits #5 globally for our Nightlife and daring, adventurous chefs creating years in a row. The city is also embracing subcategory. As soon as the sun comes a new Czech cuisine and an anything- corporate Brexit refugees, who are out, the entire city heads outdoors, to goes club scene. Its COVID-19 response setting up shop after leaving London, the parks, the beer gardens and one was second only to Tokyo’s among drawn by the global connectivity of street party or parade after another. the world’s Top 20 cities, allowing the airport (ranked #5) and new, direct Berlin also ranks #8 for Museums, while its tourism to rebound faster than four-hour London Eurostar rail service its art galleries overflow. This year the elsewhere; to celebrate, Prague offered (handy if they forgot something in their crowds will be kept smaller for safety, 50% off entry fees to its museums, old offices). and masks will be enforced, but no ranked #7 globally. one expects that to dampen the city’s famous cool factor.

RESONANCECO.COM 24 20 WASHINGTON 21 ISTANBUL 22 LAS VEGAS UNITED STATES TURKEY UNITED STATES

POPULATION METRO 6,251,240 POPULATION METRO 15,154,000 POPULATION METRO 2,231,647

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1 GOOGLE SEARCH 8 PROMOTION 6 TRIPADVISOR REVIEWS

5 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 16 PRODUCT 6 ATTRACTIONS

Power meets play in America’s Istanbul is the only major city This pulsing destination has never intriguing capital city. that straddles two continents, been quieter than in the COVID-19 and globetrotters have long reality. Its resilience and response The ubiquity of the U.S. capital in praised it for its incomparable will define it for decades. dramas on screens small and large blend of East and West. (to say nothing of the real-life stuff) The story of Las Vegas blossoming into has escalated its resonance in the The meeting of East and West, old and a “real city” has usually been told of late zeitgeist and helped propel it into new, and conservatism and liberalism with breathless praise for its economic the Top 20 global cities. The winning that Istanbul’s history is built upon success. Tourism—the number one of Amazon’s coveted HQ2 in nearby colors everything here. Minarets and economic driver for Southern Nevada— Arlington, Virginia, dominated local church spires dot the bright skyline, has long paid for Las Vegas’ roads, chatter over the past two years—the while down at street level women in parks, school construction and teachers’ 25,000 jobs created will be located in black abayas and those in tight-fitting salaries. According to the Las Vegas what Amazon calls National Landing, Armani dresses walk side by side. A Convention and Visitors Authority, more a newly minted place brand for the few more steps away, Arabic house than 41% of Southern Nevadans are neighborhood near Reagan National music from sidewalk cafés and bars employed directly or indirectly because Airport known as Crystal City. The jobs all but drowns out the call to prayer. of tourism. But this single reliance on will improve D.C.’s already impressive Get your bearings with a walk down the visitor economy also means that economic footing, powered by its #12 Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian avenue in the COVID-19 outbreak decimated Las spot for GDP Per Capita globally and #14 the Beyoğlu district that fuses modern Vegas like few other American cities. for Global 500 companies. Before the with tradition to great effect. Here, When Governor Steve Sisolak took the COVID-19 outbreak, 2020 was going impressive 19th-century buildings house unprecedented step of ordering every to be one of the busiest ever for D.C. cultural centers, shops, restaurants and casino and gaming operation—the development, with Capitol Hill’s the cafés: for an elevated yet eclectic mix of lifeblood of the state’s economy—to shut Roost, a 12,500-square-foot community- old and new, Râna Meyhane offers both down in March 2020, citizens were thrust based food hall, kicking things off. Ward traditional and modern tasting menus, into an unimaginable financial crisis. 7, two blocks away from the Minnesota pulled together with an impressive Overnight, hundreds of thousands were Avenue metro station, will be home wine list. Out on the streets, however, furloughed or lost their jobs outright. to Market 7, powered by a variety of the old ways are regaining power: a Perhaps the city’s pursuit of transforming Black-owned businesses including a recent government crackdown on into a hometown will accelerate its grocer and retail installations by local freedom of expression, including social rebound as the lockdown begins to lift. makers. The jewel in the city’s culinary media, threatens to derail the country’s If there is a silver lining for locals, it’s crown is the $250-million River Point, impressive Promotion showing. that they’ll have the world’s #18-ranked two blocks from Audi Field, between Programming, including #8 for Culture Capitol Riverfront and the Wharf, (concerts, shows and events) and #17 in with piers, waterfront activity and Nightlife, to themselves for a few months, plans for new restaurants that include all while helping their fellow citizens put a veggie-friendly eatery by James in the reps to once again host the world. Beard–winning chef Spike Gjerde.

RESONANCECO.COM 25 23 DOHA 24 SEOUL 25 SYDNEY QATAR SOUTH KOREA AUSTRALIA

POPULATION METRO 1,827,000 POPULATION METRO 21,794,000 POPULATION METRO 4,578,000

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2 PROSPERITY 32 COVID-19 CASES 16 PEOPLE

10 PEOPLE 5 PROGRAMMING 26 PROMOTION

Qatar has its sights set on Multifaceted Seoul ranks as Friendly, warm, young and becoming the next tourism hot impressively high for culture and rich, Sydney is a beauty with spot in the Middle East. And entertainment as it does for assets a growing line of suitors. it has the means to do it. like institutions, attractions and If Sydney weren’t so (relatively) isolated, infrastructure. In less than a century, Qatar went from chances are it would be challenging poor UK colony with a dwindling fishing Throughout the first six months of the Paris and London for visitor number industry to independent nation with coronavirus pandemic, Seoul emerged supremacy. It’s the laid-back, safe and booming infrastructural development as the envy of the world. Its secret? sunny manifestation of the good life. and radically improved lifestyle. Thanks A high-tech sector and experienced Let’s use new residents as a benchmark: to shrewd investment of oil wealth, government collaborating to detect, according to local numbers, Sydney the Qatar Investment Authority is contain and treat cases early. That has been gaining more than 80,000 estimated to be worth US$335 billion, response was a blessing to the city’s annually, ranking #16 in our People a portion of which is channeled back restaurant and dining scene, tops category. Many of those people are into the country and into Doha. That’s globally for the second year in a row foreign-born, too, with a #6 ranking in led to #1 global rankings this year in our for the sheer volume of places to eat the subcategory. The city’s staggering GDP Per Capita and Unemployment in town. To feed the body and mind, growth is indicative of the pull of the subcategories as the country reinvests start your visit at Zaha Hadid’s futuristic golden beaches, the big-city harbor to build more highways, a metro Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Then, for and the mellow, generous, welcoming system, universities, the I.M. Pei– a deep dive into the soul of Koreans, citizens who call this spectacular designed Museum of Islamic Art and the visit the National Folk Museum of location home. Sydney’s big outdoor breathtaking new National Museum of Korea, which includes a room devoted spaces likely helped the city weather Qatar. Doha hopes to use the 2022 FIFA to the deep and pervasive roots of the coronavirus pandemic—within the World Cup to show off its dynamic mix Confucianism. Still hungry? Explore Top 20, it had the third-fewest cases of traditional souks, iconic landmarks, Mukja Golmok, literally “Let’s Eat Alley,” per million residents—and some green ritzy shopping malls and five-star the vegetable-centric Temple Cuisine at spaces saw double the usual number of hotels. But with a poor migrant labor Dooreyoo, Michelin-starred chef Tony visitors. The city is gifted with perfect force toiling for a small, oligarchic elite Yoo’s oasis, and Gwangjang Market, a integration of the natural and built, and leading to a dismal ranking of #250 century-old food hall where you can eat accessible by all manner of ferries and for Income Equality, the city has some everything from a soup of rice cakes and watercraft, from which new angles on work ahead to maintain its reputation. kimchi-tofu dumplings to squirmy live icons like the Opera House and Sydney octopus (really). Harbour Bridge are revealed.

RESONANCECO.COM 26 26 BEIJING 27 MIAMI 28 MUNICH CHINA UNITED STATES GERMANY

POPULATION METRO 19,433,000 POPULATION METRO 6,198,782 POPULATION METRO 2,883,373

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1 PROSPERITY 10 PARKS & OUTDOORS 4 PRODUCT

13 PLACE 11 FOREIGN-BORN RESIDENTS 10 PROSPERITY

Come for the prosperity, stay for Miami’s creativity is fueled by Bavaria’s party capital is also the profound sense of place. its arms-wide-open acceptance a business behemoth. of new immigrants. If the 21st century belongs to China, Yes, there’s Oktoberfest every autumn, Beijing will be the place to watch its Miami’s natural attributes—the turquoise but Munich works as hard as it plays, rise. The capital city earned the #1 rank waters of Biscayne Bay lapping gleaming becoming one of Europe’s hottest for Prosperity, but also for two separate sand while sun-kissed bodies frolic destinations for new residents seeking features within the category: it has everywhere—have always captured the this elusive balance. It boasts the both the highest number of Global 500 world’s imagination and crystallized the world’s top ranking for its convention headquarters, and the highest Income city’s hedonistic brand. But it’s the city’s center—and its airport is ranked #10 Equality worldwide. The social cohesion openness to immigrants (and, more (soon to improve after its $550-million that comes with such an egalitarian recently, the LGBTQ+ community) that reno is done in 2023), ensuring ease society likely aided its breathtakingly ranks it #17 in the world in our People of access to all that business. It also low number of COVID-19 cases (just 19 category, including #11 for in Foreign- just broke the Top 25 in our University per million residents, if official statistics Born Residents. Indeed, the city boasts Ranking subcategory—thanks to are to be believed). The sight of the more than 100 languages spoken at Technical University of Munich, which grand Forbidden City deserted during home, according to the latest census. brands itself “the Entrepreneurial the pandemic will not last long as Miami’s historic embrace of a crossroads University.” All these attributes make travel restrictions ease, with Beijing’s of the Americas has also meant a up our Product category, for which frequent direct flights and a brand-new business advantage few other cities the city ranks in the Top 5 for the first airport already picking back up. The claim. It’s home to one of the largest time ever, helping propel the city nine spectacular, $12-billion Zaha Hadid- concentrations of international banks ranks higher overall this year. Small designed Daxing International Airport in the U.S., as well as the largest hub— wonder, with all that infrastructure and opened its doors in late 2019, just in outside of Mexico City, New York and entrepreneurship, that Munich is also time to slam them shut as the pandemic L.A.—of Spanish-language media. It’s ranked #20 for Global 500 headquarters hit. Airport officials say it will eventually also at the crossroads of Latin America, (made up primarily of automakers, see high-speed rail, inter-city services both in geography and in culture: Miami media and manufacturing, but being and downtown-to-airport express intends to promote its connectivity and quickly joined by biotech and IT giants). trains all stopping right beneath the globalism, and the region’s selection terminal, making for quick connections as a host city candidate for the 2026 to Beijing’s roiling downtown. World Cup will go a long way in showcasing these qualities. The city is also continuing its aggressive pursuit of events and conferences, and last year it approved the hotel design for the new Miami Beach Convention Center—a 185-foot-high, 17-story structure to be completed by 2022.

RESONANCECO.COM 27 29 MILAN 30 SAN DIEGO 31 BANGKOK ITALY UNITED STATES THAILAND

POPULATION METRO 5,145,657 POPULATION METRO 3,343,364 POPULATION METRO 17,066,000

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14 PRODUCT 10 UNIVERSITY 10 PROGRAMMING

24 PROMOTION 11 PARKS & OUTDOORS 17 PROMOTION

A no-nonsense devotion to the finer Southern California’s urban Eat, shop and repeat in Thailand’s things makes Italy’s northern power ideal offers free sunshine and intoxicating capital city and, a cultural and fashion vanguard. keeps a good thing going— increasingly, stealth design center. across two borders. Formerly synonymous with fashion Rumors of the demise of street food in and culture, Milan grabbed the world’s You could say that San Diego is where Bangkok’s Yaowarat (Chinatown) appear attention in all the wrong ways with California began. It was here that to have been greatly exaggerated, and one of the first serious outbreaks of Spanish settlers established the region’s that’s something worth celebrating: COVID-19 outside of Asia. Italy’s financial very first mission in 1769—251 years the city ranks #21 on the planet in our hub was hard hit, but its recovery will ago, on a hillside overlooking what is Restaurants subcategory. Indeed, in the emanate from here as well. Let’s start now known as Old Town San Diego. wake of COVID-19 lockdowns (which with tourism: of any Italian city, Milan Two and a half centuries later, this city helped the city fare exceptionally well scores highest in the Product category, of 1.4 million (with an MSA population against the virus) the district’s vendors which measures the number of quality approaching 3.5 million) is one of the triumphantly relit their grills and started museums (it ranks #20 worldwide) as fastest-growing in the U.S. It ranks #15 serving up heaping portions of curry well as universities (#68), convention in our deep Place category—with an and noodles, albeit across Plexiglas centers (#9) and direct flights (#30). impressive finish for Parks & Outdoors, barriers. There are also plentiful markets The two latter subcategories may at #11. And, of course, there’s its weather. with dedicated spots for food vendors, well suffer in our new, smaller world— San Diego is as naturally endowed as so don’t skip a visit to Chatuchak, the fewer people are expected to travel any place has a right to be—its sublime biggest one. Bangkok also ranks high internationally and large conferences 263 full and partly sunny days annually (#4) in Shopping, so once you tire of are likely out for now—but many of its help place it at #14 globally, while the haggling, head to the sixth floor of museums have reopened with new 23 beaches—70 miles of them—within Central, an upscale department store, to distancing rules. That’s great news the city limits make it synonymous with stock up on traditional Thai merchandise for anyone hoping to see works by SoCal surf culture. After a festive 2019 like tableware and decorative items Italian masters in the gorgeous former celebrating its 250th, the city is now made by artisans in Chiang Mai. Many monastery at Pinacoteca di Brera, or pausing somewhat to reap the fruits of more vendors can be found through immerse themselves in the clean lines a torrid few years of development. Of Facebook (where Bangkok’s check- and surprising cultural variety of Armani course, with the COVID-19 outbreak ins rank #6 globally), having turned to designs at Armani Silos. Not sure where and California’s stringent shelter-in- the online marketplace when the real to go first? The city’s sights are mapped place orders, San Diegans don’t really ones shut down. The change may be to an impressive resolution by the #9 have a choice. When they do get back permanent for some. highest number of TripAdvisor reviews. out of the house and into their beloved city, they’ll beeline for the famous eponymous zoo—which is one year closer to the opening of its $69-million children’s zoo, to be named after Denny Sanford, a San Diego philanthropist who donated $30 million to this endeavor, the largest single gift the San Diego Zoo has ever received. RESONANCECO.COM 28 32 VIENNA 33 DUBLIN 34 VANCOUVER AUSTRIA IRELAND CANADA

POPULATION METRO 2,405,593 POPULATION METRO 1,793,902 POPULATION METRO 2,395,000

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10 INCOME EQUALITY 9 PROSPERITY 5 PEOPLE

11 AIRPORT CONNECTIVITY 37 PROGRAMMING 15 UNIVERSITY

Where modernism was born, The storied capital is made for The most Asian city outside of the future is doing just fine. flâneurs and entrepreneurs. Asia is as smart as it is gorgeous. Too bad about the price of entry. Fresh ideas are blowing through the Dublin’s Docklands area, known as city where modernism was born—the Silicon Docks, is home to major tech As the terminus of a cross-country 4th district seems to be just one hub and digital players including Google, railroad constructed by laborers from of change on its own. Better tasting Facebook, Amazon, eBay, Apple and all over Asia, Vancouver was built with coffee is coming to the UNESCO-ranked Airbnb, to name just a few. The major a foundation of Asian sensibility. It ranks coffeehouses, like the Landtmann international firms are attracted by the #5 in our People category, a combination and the Central—places where radical city’s giveaway corporate tax rates— of Educational Attainment and Foreign- philosophical and aesthetic movements among the lowest in the world—but Born Residents. Increasingly, the term were hatched over mediocre joe. And if taxes were the whole story the “visible minority” doesn’t mean anything along with Gustav Klimt at the Belvedere gleaming offices would be manned here. Despite the success of this eden and Egon Schiele at the Leopold, by skeleton crews. Among many of coexistence, not all is calm. Always there’s a dynamic contemporary art other reasons to invest in earnest is on the lookout for foreign investment, scene made up of places like TBA21 Ireland’s Local Enterprise Office, which various incarnations of provincial and and the Museum of Applied Arts— supports international companies by federal governments made citizenship which combines applied art, design, providing mentoring and training as available to foreigners with sufficient architecture and contemporary well as a number of financial grants. capital, with little oversight on taxing art in historic splendor. The annual And it’s not just household names outside funds. As such, Vancouver’s Vienna Design Week is an anticipated setting up shop in the Irish capital. The housing prices are now mostly hitched takeover of the entire city. Not for site of several internationally ranked to a global context, largely decoupled nothing does Vienna rank #30 overall universities (Trinity College Dublin, from local wages. Fortunately, Silicon for its Programming. It’s also a green University College Dublin and Dublin Valley and Seattle tech giants are coming city leader, with safe streets, great City University), the city continues to to town with plenty of jobs, coaxed by weather and a history of methodical attract smaller start-ups that choose it Canada’s openness to immigration from city planning that has given the world over traditional head office cities like global tech talent largely spurned by everything from the English garden– London and New York. It helps to be four years of nationalist policies south of inspired City Park (opened in 1862) able to offer eager young employees the border. Additionally, Canada’s—and to an actual national park just outside something to do outside of work, Vancouver’s in particular—comparatively of town (Nationalpark Donau Auen). which Dublin’s famous—though pro-active response to and containment Vienna is also the European benchmark increasingly costly—pub-centric of the pandemic has endeared the city for public transit, with almost half of nightlife (ranked #15) handily takes to even more global nomads who can the city’s population holding an annual care of along with an abundance of work from anywhere. The University transit pass—and using it religiously. concerts, shows and events (#21). of British Columbia, ranked #15, is also a draw for the next generation of Vancouver’s increasingly global citizenry.

RESONANCECO.COM 29 35 BOSTON 36 ZURICH 37 MELBOURNE UNITED STATES SWITZERLAND AUSTRALIA

POPULATION METRO 4,875,390 POPULATION METRO 1,369,041 POPULATION METRO 4,539,000

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1 UNIVERSITY 7 PROSPERITY 22 PEOPLE

8 GDP PER CAPITA 15 PEOPLE 34 PROMOTION

America’s oldest big city has Often ranking among the world’s Cool, confident and never too never been more current. most livable cities, Zurich is exactly eager to give up its secrets, the kind of place you’d want to call Melbourne rewards curious A hub of higher education and home to home: efficient, clean and safe. citizens and visitors alike. the fourth-best-educated workforce in the nation, Beantown produces a steady Switzerland’s financial center and While Sydney is known for its laid- stream of new talent to help attract largest metropolis is a magnet for back vibe and breezy style, Melbourne start-ups and established companies foreigners who, along with multilingual goes for edgy aesthetics and urban alike. Future talent gravitates to Harvard, Swiss nationals, enjoy one of the world’s panache. For proof, explore a of course—the country’s top school (and highest standards of living—the city multitude of tiny alleys, where the a big reason why the city is #1 in our ranks #15 for GDP Per Capita and #9 city’s spray-can artists turn dreary University subcategory and scored #35 for Unemployment. Zurich also lands walls into colorful canvases. You in our overall Product category, which at #15 in our People category, which might stumble upon a laneway, those measures hard-to-build infrastructure in includes the Educational Attainment locally loved narrow passageways subcategories like Airport Connectivity (#13) and Foreign-Born Residents (#27) open only to pedestrian traffic, with and Convention Center)—as well as subcategories. It also breaks the Top 10 a charming little bar or an award- to Boston’s density of other world- for Global 500 companies, with major winning restaurant. In the art capital class universities and colleges. The European players like Migros, Credit of Australia, you can while away the city is bursting with lecture halls, labs Suisse and UBS AG based here. For morning at Gertrude Contemporary, and classrooms of the more than the uninitiated, Zurich may seem like a a gallery that showcases the work of 75 institutions of higher learning, bourgeois and reserved kind of place, emerging homegrown artists, or you and is energized by the estimated but under the buttoned-down oxford can lose yourself in the happening 200,000 post-secondary students you’ll find a thriving arts landscape, Fitzroy neighborhood, where the creating stories, ideas, solutions and an adventurous restaurant scene city’s street-art scene began in the technologies that will help drive the and plenty of vintage finds that won’t aforementioned alleys. Melbourne economy and incubate innovation break the (Swiss) bank account. A hub ranks #23 for Sights & Landmarks and districts nationally and globally in for European travel, Zurich suffered #27 for Culture. Its diversity is a major the coming decades. New students economically from its 126 COVID-19 strength, ranking #10 for Foreign-Born flock here, to arguably the continent’s cases per million residents. Its airport Residents, and a better educated largest university town, by the tens (ranked #24 for Connectivity) was hit populace helped its People score rise of thousands every year and become by a substantial drop in revenue, which four spots. smitten with the crooked narrow it expected to affect capital spending streets and storied pubs, blended with in the city over the coming years. American optimism and East Coast connectivity. This is the birthplace of America, after all. And Facebook. No wonder Boston ranks an impressive #21 in our People category, including #9 for the percentage of the population with postsecondary education.

RESONANCECO.COM 30 38 BUDAPEST 39 HOUSTON 40 SEATTLE HUNGARY UNITED STATES UNITED STATES

POPULATION METRO 2,978,067 POPULATION METRO 6,997,384 POPULATION METRO 3,939,363

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27 PROGRAMMING 10 GDP PER CAPITA 11 GDP PER CAPITA

46 PROSPERITY 10 GOOGLE SEARCH 20 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

The Old World beguiles in Smart, skilled and soulful, Houston America’s boomtown is playing the Hungarian capital. is the American city of the future. the long game to keep the (supervised) party going. There’s much to see and do on either International immigration in the past side of the Hungarian capital, which is decade has contributed to explosive Seattle’s self-reliance and dedication split in half by the expansive bend of population growth and has made to taking care of its own has fostered the Danube River. On the west bank is Houston one of the most ethnically over 150 years of city-building on the medieval Buda, hilly and full of history, diverse big cities in America, with far-flung northwest coast of the U.S., and on the east is Pest, modern and more than 145 different languages setting the stage for its current “it” bohemian. The two were first linked spoken at home, according to the status. In many ways, Sea Town reverse- in 1849 by the iconic Széchenyi Chain latest census—about even with New engineered its success. With a focus on Bridge and together they now offer York. No wonder its dining is ranked education and an optimized workforce, an alluring whole that ranks high for #35 in the world. The fourth-largest city the very environment that launched Programming (#27) and for Prosperity in the U.S. is also home to the fourth- and held on to Boeing (still the biggest (#46). Ornate baths, old-fashioned cafés, largest concentration of Fortune 500 local employer despite the relocation lively markets, Art Nouveau splendors companies in the country, and ranks of its headquarters to Chicago) as well and a fascinating history sweep visitors an impressive Top 20 globally. The city as Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser has off their feet. Don’t miss a hike to Gellért is also #10 on the planet in our GDP also attracted more recent captains Hill, which rises 770 feet above the Per Capita subcategory. Despite this, of industry, like Amazon, Costco and city and offers sweeping views of the the city ranks a middling #76 overall Starbucks. Keeping the talent pipeline river below, the Buda hills, Pest and in Prosperity, including #200 in our stocked has always been Seattle’s the mountain ranges in the distance. Unemployment ranking and #214 for secret—and it’s paid off. Today, it ranks At night, Budapest’s Communist-era Income Equality. But there is room for in the Top 20 globally for educated factories and parkades come alive as inclusion in the city’s ambitious plans. citizenry and #11 in our vital GDP Per “ruin bars,” a distinctly Eastern European The recent development of the Houston Capita subcategory, powered by its #30 approach that keeps the city’s nightlife Spaceport, a hub for innovation, ranking for Global 500 companies in (ranked #16) fresh and surprising. education and commercial spaceflight, town (and growing). The city’s boom has is the future of the region’s space slowed significantly, with rising COVID- industry—and brings us all a step closer 19 cases and its lowest-ever employment to space tourism. For now, Houston’s rate (ranked #229 nationally as of late 22.3 million annual visitors (2018)—of July 2020). At the same time, residents, which 3.28 million were international workers and businesses have been travelers—arrive and depart by more hobbled by the closure of the West conventional means—at least they Seattle Bridge, the city’s busiest. did before the city was devastated by the pandemic. The city ranks #29 for Airport Connectivity.

RESONANCECO.COM 31 41 MONTREAL 42 HONG KONG 43 FRANKFURT CANADA HONG KONG GERMANY

POPULATION METRO 3,625,000 POPULATION METRO 7,347,000 POPULATION METRO 2,693,115

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22 INCOME EQUALITY 15 PROMOTION 26 PROSPERITY

25 CULTURE 28 PLACE 5 PRODUCT

Canada’s exotic French heart Not quite China but no longer Frankfurt smartly was hit hard with COVID-19. a Western colony, Hong Kong defines conventions. But a return to brighter days is fighting for its autonomy. Frankfurt has perfected the art of air is never far here, mes amis. The East-meets-West spirit of the place; access. Germany is in the middle of Outgoing, two-cheek-embracing, the forest of skyscrapers as seen on Europe, Frankfurt is in the middle of convivial-above-all Montreal took a a hike to Pok Fu Lam Reservoir; the Germany, and its airport—the largest hard, early hit as the pandemic struck. sounds, smells and tastes from the in the country—is one of the world’s Deaths in residences for the elderly dai pai dong (open-air food stalls) of aviation hubs (#3 in our Airport exposed the ugly underbelly of an Temple Street Night Market and the Connectivity subcategory). The underfunded industry and brought about city’s electric pulse all captivate visitors city rises above most others with its a reckoning for both governments and and locals alike. The sublime embrace #2-ranked convention center, which families in terms of the meaning of care. of the city was shattered in April 2019 draws more than 4.5 million visitors Montreal’s coronavirus cases were the when Hong Kong citizens opposing a annually (pandemic years excepted). worst in Canada for weeks at a time in law to extradite criminal cases to China In 15 minutes, conventioneers who fly 2020. Despite the cancellation of iconic first took to the streets. The demands into FRA can find themselves at the programming like the Grand Prix, the quickly spread to broader human rights massive Messe Frankfurt, the world’s city acted swiftly to turn major streets reforms targeting China’s encroachment largest trade fair and event organizer, into creatively-styled outdoor hangouts on the region—and now, the draconian featuring its own exhibition grounds. A with art and music, and vastly increased new security law imposed by Beijing short stroll in any direction takes visitors bike lanes. The summer of 2020, as ever has cast a pall on Hong Kong’s Safety to shopping, restaurants, museums and in the city, was deliriously enjoyable and (#8), currently a high point of its score other pleasures to mix with the business tragically short—not for nothing does for Place (#28). It’s hard to imagine as of the day. The convention center is Montreal rank 25th in the world for the many foreigners still wishing to visit scrambling to salvage its business number of quality activities, shows and a city where they could very easily be during the COVID-19 pandemic, and events. Montreal also ranks 31st for its detained for wearing the wrong shirt. has managed to quickly bounce back number of foreign-born citizens, and 30th Hong Kong was well prepared for with the “hygiene concept,” a typically for the percentage of residents with higher COVID-19, with acute memories of the German comprehensive system for education. Universities are highly rated— last generation’s SARS epidemic, and so safely organizing an event, from the highly respected McGill climbed in the snuffed out the newer virus more quickly catering services to teleconferencing rankings—and Université de Montréal than most cities outside the region. technology to contactless access. has become a hot spot of the Artificial Intelligence kind. Montreal’s growing tech expertise hasn’t put the city out of reach: it hit #22 in our Gini coefficient ranking for inequality. But it’s becoming increasingly clear: the city’s future may be more dependent on its growing brains than on its considerable heart.

RESONANCECO.COM 32 44 SÃO PAULO 45 TEL AVIV 46 COPENHAGEN BRAZIL ISRAEL DENMARK

POPULATION METRO 22,046,000 POPULATION METRO 2,654,000 POPULATION METRO 1,928,612

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9 PROGRAMMING 8 PEOPLE 30 PRODUCT

11 PROMOTION 49 PROGRAMMING 32 PROSPERITY

The world is already in Brazil’s A beach town with serious cultural One of Europe’s new largest city. They all just happen chops, Tel Aviv is drawing on its culinary capitals lets you to speak Portuguese. past to forge an exciting future. eat it up and work it off.

Brazil’s biggest metropolis greets With its year-round perfect weather, René Redzepi put Nordic cuisine on you not with beaches but with high- laidback lifestyle and burgeoning the map when his restaurant Noma rises, traffic, smog and more than the tech industry, it’s no surprise that Tel was named the world’s best in 2010— occasional downpour. But as Paulistanos Aviv has become a popular place to and, since then, it’s only dropped a will tell you in person or via Facebook live for foreign-born Millennials and single place, with a new location in the check-ins (#5), they live in the best Gen-Xers (the city ranks #16 in terms countryside outside of town. It’s not city on the planet. With the largest of diversity). Tel Aviv also reaches #8 something everyone can afford, but with population of Italian descendants in our People category, and ranks an a strong showing in Income Equality outside of Italy, the largest community impressive #39 for Museums. Located (#17) the standard of living is high of people of Japanese descent and a in the city center and opened in 1932, enough for many of the other luxuries large Arab community fueled mostly the Tel Aviv Museum of Art houses a the city offers. And the Danish capital by Lebanese and Syrian immigrants, comprehensive collection of works by continues to be a hotbed for innovative culinary delights are a given. The city local and international artists. The new cuisine, as well as for contemporary art lands at #3 for Restaurants. Brazil’s late building of twisting geometric surfaces, and design. Surprisingly, Copenhagen and half-hearted response to COVID-19 designed by Preston Scott Cohen, is only ranks at #121 in our Restaurants meant São Paulo suffered more cases of one of the city’s landmarks. Opened in subcategory, but trust us when we say the virus than almost any non-U.S. city, 2018, across the Yarkon River from the you should go here hungry. Compact and worse even than many parts of the art museum, is the Steinhardt Museum enough so you can walk or bike particularly hard-hit U.S. That’s likely to of Natural History, a grand monument everywhere, Copenhagen offers not put a damper on the city’s Top 5 ranking to the natural world that also makes just plenty of culinary delights, but for concerts, shows and events until big allowances for the country’s Abrahamic also a rich cultural heritage and lots crowds are safe again. The city canceled faith: Torah literalists can avoid the of green spaces and pretty canals to the spring edition of its famous fashion section on evolution. The two museums explore—alongside an impressively week—the biggest in Latin America— boast gorgeous architecture, but you educated populace (#19). The city ranks and its Pride Parade, the world’s biggest. don’t have to go to a museum to be #75 for Parks & Outdoors but only #226 immersed in art and design. In a city for Weather, so dress accordingly. with the planet’s largest concentration of Bauhaus-style buildings, fascinating architecture is everywhere you look.

RESONANCECO.COM 33 47 CALGARY 48 ORLANDO 49 ATLANTA CANADA UNITED STATES UNITED STATES

POPULATION METRO 1,326,000 POPULATION METRO 2,572,962 POPULATION METRO 5,950,828

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9 PEOPLE 8 TRIPADVISOR REVIEWS 14 GOOGLE SEARCH

23 GDP PER CAPITA 13 ATTRACTIONS 14 AIRPORT CONNECTIVITY

Canada’s energy capital is Yes, there are theme parks. Affluent, charming and dripping building for its future, despite But Orlando is also a thriving with history, this giant of the a struggling oil industry. food destination with plenty American South is creating to enjoy without kids in tow. the future on its own terms. Although Toronto is Canada’s business heart, it’s Calgary—with Canada’s Being the largest city in a region that Long a progressive beacon of diversity youngest population and home to its oil generates more than $60 billion in in conservative Georgia, Atlanta has industry—that’s always been second. tourism-related revenue every year a rich legacy of American civil rights, People here walk with the velocity of (2020 being the notable exception) gets along with laying claim as the birthplace New Yorkers and cut to the chase like you plenty of lift from a rising tide. That’s of Martin Luther King Jr. The city Texans. Ranking #23 globally in GDP Per a lot of visitors with a story to tell if you embraces and shares its rich, living Capita, by far the highest in Canada, the give them the means to tell it. Orlando history—from the must-see Center for city is now in the midst of an economic knows how to get people talking. Its Civil and Human Rights to the King hardship not seen in decades due to #32 ranking in our Promotion category Center for Nonviolent Social Change. the struggling oil and gas industry (the drove its Top 50 overall global ranking, These days, it’s also front and center fortunes of Calgary rise and fall with the including the eighth-most TripAdvisor in the U.S.’s escalating pursuit of social price of crude). The pandemic added reviews of any global metropolis. justice and equality, with Mayor Keisha to the misery, which has manifested Orlando plans buzzy product releases Lance Bottoms even being rumored to into the highest unemployment rate with military precision—and suffered be among the competition for Kamala in Canada, at 15.5% over the summer deeply when confronted with an Harris when Biden was choosing a of 2020. The challenge in this city of invisible enemy it couldn’t defeat running mate. Atlanta has always been risk-takers has always been to even quickly, its many high-budget tourism- a crossroads—open to new ideas, and things out by diversifying away from reliant initiatives cut short, from to the new arrivals who came to this fossil fuels, building an economically SeaWorld’s new Sesame Street, rolled lush, hot, rolling land when the city rose resilient home town for a place that out for the show’s 50th anniversary, as a railroad terminus. Today, it’s still ranks #9 globally in our People category, to LEGOLAND Resort’s debuted Lego a transportation hub, with Hartsfield– including #11 for Educational Attainment Movie World. The city has also expanded Jackson Atlanta International Airport one and #24 for Foreign-Born Residents. its attention beyond family fun. The new of the busiest airports in the world (80% New projects, like the recently opened Exploria Stadium houses the local MLS of the U.S. population resides within a Central Library in the burgeoning men’s and women’s teams, with seats two-hour flight). It’s why the city ranks cultural hub of East Village, reinforce the for 25,500 fans. Orlando’s middling #14 for Airport Connectivity globally, as city’s long-lauded quality of life, despite Restaurants ranking (#102) looks to be well as #34 in our Convention Center current struggles. on the long-term upswing as the world’s subcategory, resulting in an overall #24 chefs focus on the post-pandemic ranking for Product. Atlanta, like most opportunity in a place with so many optimized hubs, also boasts efficient, diners on vacation. The NBA making its inexpensive, direct public transit links pandemic season hub in the city will to the city from its airport. It’s also a help a little, but Orlando faces massive long-time business titan, ranking Top challenges in a state where infection 20 worldwide for most Global 500 rates set daily records. companies based in town.

RESONANCECO.COM 34 50 DALLAS 51 HAMBURG 52 OSAKA UNITED STATES GERMANY JAPAN

POPULATION METRO 7,540,371 POPULATION METRO 3,309,215 POPULATION METRO 14,977,000

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8 AIRPORT CONNECTIVITY 12 PROSPERITY 21 PROSPERITY

19 GLOBAL 500 COMPANIES 47 PROGRAMMING 22 PROGRAMMING

Dallas-boosters like to say that Germany’s second city is a creative Osaka does today what it’s done well “Big Things Happen Here,” wild child with global impact. for centuries: entrepreneurialism, and as the city climbs up our food distribution and living high off Hamburg is both Europe’s second- ranking, we’d have to agree. the spoils of both. largest shipping port and a serious It’s not only city branding that’s big in contender for Venice of the North, This city has swagger, perhaps because Dallas, which is home to more than with a lake and a latticework of canals it was the capital of what is today 10,000 corporate headquarters— that elevate the city into visually modern Japan a millennium before the largest corporate head office stunning territory. The landmark that Tokyo. Osaka served as “the nation’s concentration in the U.S. and #19 in tells the story is the $933-million kitchen”—the distribution point for rice, the world for Global 500 companies. Elbphilharmonie, a spectacular concert the most important measure of wealth. Of course, a city with lots of corporate hall that combines 19th-century Since industry begets industry, it’s headquarters is a city that’s easy to warehouses with the crystalline now ranked #10 on the planet for most get to: Dallas ranks #8 in the world for architecture and acoustics of the future. Global 500 companies. Amazingly, the Airport Connectivity, a measure of But don’t let the opulence fool you: city’s economy dwarfs Hong Kong’s. But direct flight access into a city’s principal Hamburg boasts the 13th-best Income it’s the impressive #22 ranking in our airport. But the city isn’t just big on Equality worldwide. Lower-income Programming category—led by a #7 spot money; it’s big on fun and culture, too. people are not being left behind, even for its shopping scene—that is making Dallas is also home to America’s sixth- in its signature redevelopment project, Osaka the fastest-rising Japanese largest LGBTQ+ community, with bars HafenCity. In Europe’s biggest inner- tourist city. That ranking leapfrogged its and restaurants concentrated in Oak city urban development project— already stellar showing for Restaurants Lawn, and to the Dallas Arts District, the which, over more than a decade, is (#13). Best known for its okonomiyaki— largest contiguous urban arts district transforming almost a square mile of cabbage pancakes stuffed with an in the nation. On 20 square blocks of tumble-down docks along the city’s ever-changing lineup of fillings— mixed-use space, museums like the port into a buzzing shopping and Osaka is home to several restaurants Dallas Museum of Art, the Crow Museum residential area—a third of housing specializing in this fabulous dish as of Asian Art and the renowned Nasher must be subsidized while another third well as its distant octopus-containing Sculpture Center—as well as theaters, is set aside for rentals. The project is cousin, takoyaki. Annual foreign visitors symphony and opera venues and due to be completed within the next to Osaka could reach 26 million by restaurants and bars—all contribute to a five years, and includes new additions 2030, according to Takeshi Yamaguchi #59 ranking in our Culture subcategory to Hamburg’s bustling nightlife (#22), of estate consulting firm CBRE. (concerts, shows and events). such as a new offshoot of the popular rum-soaked Boilerman Bar.

RESONANCECO.COM 35 53 LISBON 54 AUSTIN 55 PHOENIX PORTUGAL UNITED STATES UNITED STATES

POPULATION METRO 2,989,427 POPULATION METRO 2,168,316 POPULATION METRO 4,857,962

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14 PLACE 18 UNIVERSITY 12 WEATHER

34 PROGRAMMING 24 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 15 ATTRACTIONS

The once sleepy capital on the edge The home of SXSW and the Latin soul, daring architecture of Western Europe is today one of purported best live music and a reverence for the outdoors Europe’s hottest destinations. scene on the planet fights blends a heady mix in the heart hard to keep it weird. of the American Southwest. The Portuguese capital is a tactile, multisensory experience best explored The rebellious Texas city—forged with A thriving desert metropolis, Phoenix on foot with no particular agenda, the Longhorn State’s can-do persistence offers some of the best Mexican food allowing a few of the 2,799 hours of cut with a university town’s political this side of the border, a number of fine sunshine a year—the most of any activism and social diversity—has long museums, a vibrant artist community European capital—to warm your sense attracted the misfits who don’t quite fit and 300 days of sunshine—with the of discovery. Its seven hills play with into the American south’s expectations. #12-ranked Weather globally. Start your the senses, reverberating sounds, light The city ranks #33 in our People visit with a stroll through Roosevelt Row and scents, to say nothing of providing category, including #24 for Educational Arts District, or RoRo, as locals have perches from which to watch the sun Attainment. A lot of the brainpower taken to calling it. Art galleries, studios, setting ablaze the yellow and white arrives for the 18th-ranked university restaurants and bars sit side by side architecture—and the Atlantic beyond. on the planet, The University of Texas in this walkable creative district in the To save you some time, the best spot at Austin, and many never leave. That downtown core—helping the city to a to do so is the Castelo de São Jorge, a foundation of thinking differently #15 ranking globally in our Attractions view you have to earn through winding drew dreamers for decades. The local subcategory. Don’t miss the Desert ancient alleys in one of Europe’s marketing organization, Visit Austin, Botanical Garden, which, with more than oldest neighborhoods. The city’s #21 trademarked the city as the “Live Music 50,000 plants, has one of the world’s Safety ranking—which draws from UN, Capital of the World.” On any given largest collections of desert flora. Want European and FBI statistics—shot up night—pandemic notwithstanding— to see some cacti and succulents in their 92 places this year. Indeed, safety was the city’s entertainment districts serve natural element? Take a close-up look the country’s focus in trying to win back up performances like nowhere else. at Camelback Mountain. Summit trails the tourists Lisbon depends on: from SXSW (South by Southwest), the annual are not for the faint of heart, especially temperature checks to high testing summit of film, interactive media in 100° Fahrenheit heat, but the base rates, Lisbon is eager to show the and music festivals and conferences of the mountain offers easier and world that its neighborhoods (ranking (plus a fair share of historic product equally beautiful trails for beginners. #15 for Sights & Landmarks) and open launches like Airbnb), has seeded the Phoenix ranks #53 in the nation for its spaces (at #19 for Parks & Outdoors) area’s magnetism for new ventures. As Parks & Outdoors. If you’re looking for a are ready to welcome them back. such, monikers like “Silicon Hills” have respite from the heat, visit the Phoenix followed campus openings by Apple, Art Museum, where Carlos Amorales’ Facebook, Google, Oracle, Dell, Cisco Black Cloud, a site-specific installation and Hewlett-Packard. A skills shortage— consisting of 25,000 individual, life- tempered by the pandemic—is being sized black paper moths and butterflies, mitigated somewhat by a steady flow of weaves its way in a swarm up the graduates pouring out from UT Austin walls and ceilings of a gallery space. and new residents streaming in from both coasts.

RESONANCECO.COM 36 56 NAPLES 57 OSLO 58 DENVER ITALY NORWAY UNITED STATES

POPULATION METRO 3,406,777 POPULATION METRO 1,588,457 POPULATION METRO 2,932,415

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4 PLACE 20 PEOPLE 17 AIRPORT CONNECTIVITY

15 MUSEUMS 20 PROSPERITY 23 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Italy’s third-largest city is Smart, practical and increasingly Light rail, legal pot and buzzing a 3,000-year-old treasure keen to share its idiosyncrasies ’hoods put Denver on the fast track. trove of urbanity, with the with the world, Oslo is an economic Since its Wild West beginnings, Denver experiences to match. powerhouse with swagger (as has attracted people from a variety of much as Norwegians swagger). Even by European secondary-city cultures who’ve created a rich tapestry status, Naples is often overlooked and No longer playing second fiddle to and a diverse cultural heritage. Today, underestimated—both by international Scandinavian cities like Stockholm with its secondary-city affordability visitors and by Italy’s power centers. The and Copenhagen, Oslo is proving and epic location tucked at the foot city’s three millennia of existence make itself a worthy destination all its own, of the Rocky Mountains, Denver is an it one of the oldest urban centers on with stunning natural beauty, as well increasingly wealthy, healthy Millennial the continent—with the accompanying as a thriving nightlife scene, Michelin- magnet of a city. These days, an layers of beauty, conflict and lore worthy restaurants and a storied past. increasing number of companies are (ciao, Elena Ferrante). Naples ranks an The holder of our #20 spot in the People locating in Downtown Denver, which impressive #4 overall in our deep Place category, Oslo has some of the most points to its reputation as one of the category, including #5 for Sights & educated residents in the world (#10 best places in the country to start and Landmarks—like its centuries-old Naples for Educational Attainment) as well as a grow a business. The city ranks an Cathedral, which rivals any other in the high percentage of international citizens impressive #24 globally in our GDP Per sensual feast that is Italy. Like in Rome (#35 for Foreign-Born Residents). The Capita subcategory, as well as #23 for and Istanbul, a mere stroll here (or a economy is performing well, offering Educational Attainment. But it’s not ride up the funicular to the surrounding its residents admirable levels of social just an abundance of jobs and a lower hillside neighborhoods) reveals wellbeing and employment, which cost of living that’s attracting a highly forgotten history every few minutes. is a good thing, since Oslo is not a educated and in-demand workforce The city’s waterfront, nearby beaches cheap place to live in or visit. But a to the city. Blessed with 300 days of and parks result in #7 ranking for Parks high Income Equality ranking (#10) and sunshine a year and surrounded by & Outdoors on the planet. Naples has access to education means that status mountains, hiking paths and numerous long been associated with crime and symbols like the Teslas quietly prowling indoor/outdoor spaces, the city is in the mafia, but tourism has doubled over its streets are not just playthings for vanguard of the growing trend toward the past decade, and crime dropped a rich few. In fact, thanks in part to office wellness. Lest we forget, cannabis by almost 50% between 2018 and generous subsidies and breaks on Oslo’s is legal in the Mile High City and the 2019, according to local sources— downtown congestion pricing, the entire state of Colorado. resulting in a #87 Safety ranking for luxury electric vehicle brand owns the city globally. Of course, both a quarter of Norway’s car market. positive indicators are at risk given the country’s struggles with the economic devastation of the pandemic. A region with an unemployment rate of 20% in normal times is far worse off today.

RESONANCECO.COM 37 59 STOCKHOLM 60 PHILADELPHIA 61 RIYADH SWEDEN UNITED STATES SAUDI ARABIA

POPULATION METRO 2,308,143 POPULATION METRO 6,096,372 POPULATION METRO 6,881,000

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31 PRODUCT 8 UNIVERSITY 37 PROMOTION

34 PEOPLE 32 CULTURE 53 PEOPLE

An ambitious tech scene The City of Brotherly Love The Kingdom of Saudi with daring cuisine to fuel gives locals and visitors Arabia’s capital begins to the Scandinavian fire. plenty of Americana. pave the way for tourism.

Very few Scandinavian cities are as Given its deep foundation in the creation Seeing the continued success of the dynamic as Stockholm, with its mix of the Union almost 250 years ago, tourism industry in neighboring Dubai, of rustic, traditional and New Nordic Philadelphia is a dense, cataloged Abu Dhabi and Oman and keen on cuisine, its idyllic parks and outdoor embodiment of American values and moving the economy away from a swimming areas, quaint cobblestone traditions, easily accessible and eagerly dependency on oil, the Kingdom of streets lined with buildings erected in shared. Small wonder, then, that it Saudi Arabia started issuing tourist visas the 1700s, cutting-edge design and ranks an impressive #38 in our Sights & in April 2018 for the first time in eight mid-century modern aesthetics. Throw Landmarks subcategory, and #32 in our years. Even before that, the city saw in a varied, multicultural population that Culture (comprised of concerts, shows plenty of tourism—18 million people speaks near flawless English (Stockholm and events). It’s home to places like visited the country in 2016—but now, ranks #34 in our People category the Liberty Bell Center, of course. And Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has with a #14 ranking for Educational various must-see cultural centers with launched an ambitious plan to attract Attainment) and epic summer season the term “Independence” in their names. 30 million visitors by 2030, including with near-constant daylight, and It might be America’s birthplace, but the phase one of the astonishing Red Sea you’ve got yourself one very attractive City of Brotherly Love only keeps one development, to be completed by the destination with plenty of experiences foot firmly rooted in its rich history. The end of 2022. Already the capital city for any mood. This truly international other is stepping into the future, with ranks #29 for Facebook Check-ins, as city underwent an IT boom in the late the 30th-most Global 500 companies well as #6 for both Weather and GDP Per 1990s, which was followed a decade located here, a growing population Capita. Saudi Arabia’s ultraconservative later by a second wave with the launch and a glittering skyline heading ever leanings—public displays of affection of global hits like Skype, Spotify and upward. Philadelphia is also a city rich between heterosexual couples are Minecraft—earning Stockholm the in hometown pride, with locals reliably discouraged while LGBTQ+ couples moniker “The Unicorn Factory” for its turning out to celebrate everything could find themselves in serious record of launching more billion-dollar from Super Bowl victories to National danger—present a threat to the start-ups than anywhere outside of Cheesesteak Day. Strong employment country’s plans for tourism growth, Silicon Valley. A wander through the prior to the pandemic, driven by a as does its reputation for murdering swanky, recently gentrified Södermalm diverse economy, meant population journalists and other outspoken critics. neighborhood, the birthplace of many growth, a resilient real estate market and of these tech giants, will reveal why the a boom in new construction. But with a city ranks #48 in the GDP Per Capita poor ranking in its number of COVID- subcategory. But be sure to mask up: 19 cases and in our Income Equality the country’s push for “herd immunity” subcategory (#210), the city will need to during COVID-19 caused a spike in battle hard to win back the good times. infections and deaths, and the worst COVID-19 numbers in Scandinavia.

RESONANCECO.COM 38 62 DELHI 63 BUENOS AIRES 64 SAN JOSE INDIA ARGENTINA UNITED STATES

POPULATION METRO 29,617,000 POPULATION METRO 16,157,000 POPULATION METRO 1,945,000

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18 PLACE 10 CULTURE 4 PEOPLE

23 PROMOTION 16 SIGHTS & LANDMARKS 4 GDP PER CAPITA

Chaotic, mind-bendingly Buenos Aires is a mesmerizing Talent, smarts and money are sprawling and layered like few cocktail that blends a dash of a potent mix that’s given this cities on earth, Delhi is a sensory European flair with a heavy city the highest household bounty for the prepared. dose of Latin passion. income in the USA.

Honk, beep, moo! Vans, scooters, Elegant mansions line cobblestone It’s fascinating what a well-educated, rickshaws, street food sellers, beggars, streets, drivers maneuver broad well-paid and diverse population can cows and even monkeys come boulevards according to rules only they do for a city’s rankings. In the case of together in the Indian capital. There comprehend and the wild nightlife goes San Jose, the economic, cultural and are few places on earth with the hectic, on until dawn. Porteños, as the local political capital of Silicon Valley, it’s pulsating pace of Delhi, which explains populace is called, have mastered the everything, and it’s given the city its its #18 spot for Place, including a #29 art of whiling away the hours at cafés, highest-ever finish. The city boasts the ranking for Sights & Landmarks. Indeed, drinking espresso and arguing over #4 GDP Per Capita on the planet. All that Delhi is a city built upon or near the ruins politics or yesterday’s fútbol match. A capital lures the best talent on earth, of a previous city, and today visitors chaotic, beautiful mess, it’s hard not to meaning San Jose also excels in our can trace through the eras, exploring fall in love with Buenos Aires. Making People category, with the fourth-best centuries-old forts, tombs, shrines the Top 100 list for the second year in a educated residents on the planet and and mosques. Old Delhi is where to row, “Baires” scores an impressive #16 the 14th-most diverse. The bounty of soak it all in while weaving in and out for Sights & Landmarks, boosted by the universities is a performance driver all of the chaos, shopping for trinkets and distinction of neighborhoods like La its own, creating symbiotic integrations handicrafts in the frenetic street bazaars Boca, a vibrant quarter where everything with local tech companies with access and gaping in wonder at the Red Fort. from walls, lampposts, fire hydrants and to funding and innovation like few Unsurprisingly, Delhi also ranks highly even tree trunks are painted in vibrant others. Given the optimal conditions (#17) for Restaurants, and sampling shades of green, red, yellow, purple and of a lauded, coveted school and the everything you can is a must. Now, add blue. Buenos Aires is also an emerging on-ramp it provides to jobs in the same a “click” to Delhi’s cacophony: despite force in our Programming category city, San Jose will continue to stock its ancient roots the city is bursting into (#21), ranking #10 for Culture thanks its talent pipeline. The region, home the new millennium with a #23 ranking to its pre-pandemic torrent of events to Google, Facebook, Cisco Systems, for Promotion. Its rankings in Facebook and concerts—from tango in the park eBay and PayPal, is #30 for Global Check-ins (#14), Google Trends (#13) in Belgrano to the increasingly buzzy 500 HQs eager for graduates. There and Google Search (#9) all reveal a city arteBA art fair. After dark, the city boasts are a massive number of corporate eager to show itself off to the world. the #23-ranked Nightlife on the planet. offices in the city—with plans for a No wonder it’s the third-most googled new Google campus over the next few city, one that just saw its largest visitor years that could house up to 25,000 numbers in 2019. employees—but given the plentiful prosperity, San Jose is an incredibly livable and worthwhile destination. As California’s oldest civilian Spanish settlement, the city has many museums spanning its fascinating history.

RESONANCECO.COM 39 65 BRUSSELS 66 PORTLAND 67 OTTAWA BELGIUM UNITED STATES CANADA

POPULATION METRO 2,667,824 POPULATION METRO 2,478,996 POPULATION METRO 1,036,000

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37 PRODUCT 14 GDP PER CAPITA 19 PEOPLE

48 PROGRAMMING 17 GOOGLE SEARCH 52 PROSPERITY

Belgium’s capital and the America’s Left Coast runs The cosmopolitan capital of Canada de facto home of the European deep in this ambitious city on has a reputation for brainpower Union is a city with plenty of the edge of the wilderness. that’s attracting the world. surprises up its stuffy sleeve. Portland’s Left Coast isolation, Canada’s capital—“the city that fun Here you’ll find breathtaking ambivalence toward established forgot” to Canadians—has forever lived architecture—surely the Grand Place norms and legacy of cooperation and in the shadow of its exciting big-city is one of the most beautiful squares neighborliness—to hew trees and carve sisters, Toronto and Montreal. But a in the world—along with some of the out one’s place among the encroaching national 150th birthday in 2017 brought ugliest buildings in Europe (there are wilderness—makes this one of the attention the citizens (ranking #19 in entire blogs dedicated to the city’s most earnest cities in America. It’s also People) of a city where one in four is “distinct” architecture). Brussels is the one of most beautiful, ranking #61 for an immigrant (Ottawa ranks #40 in EU’s administrative center, yet one of its Sights & Landmarks and #70 for Parks the world for Foreign-Born Residents). most famous landmarks is the Manneken & Outdoors. One of the zingers in the Ottawans are uncommonly intelligent: Pis, a statue of a naked boy peeing into popular TV show Portlandia identified the city ranks #6 in Educational a fountain—a symbol not just of the its lampooned target as “a place young Attainment and the highest-ranking of city’s contempt for authority but also of people go to retire.” But it’s more like its four universities, Carleton, places #82 the locals’ enduring deadpan humor. reinventing themselves, taking what globally. All that brainpower has poured Brussels has a vibrant, multi-ethnic was there all along, finding its best into some 1,750 knowledge-based population (ranking #34 for Foreign- parts and doubling down on what businesses—everything from clean Born Residents), and boasts under-the- works. The proof of its people is in technology to life sciences to digital radar neighborhoods such as the hip Portland’s performance: its citizenry media, aerospace and software. About Congolese Matonge quarter—worthy ranks #28 for Educational Attainment 68,000 jobs are the result—along with of exploration for the flea markets and and #14 for global GDP Per Capita. an 80th-place ranking in global GDP street art alone. Its Museums (#30) are Portlanders work hard to play hard. Per Capita. In a city with a relatively low ostensibly led by the grand Belgian The city ranks Top 50 globally for its cost of living, that means there’s money Royal Museums of Fine Arts, but they’re lively concerts, shows and events (#43 to spend on its plentiful things to do truly brought to the next level by the in our Culture subcategory) and its (with a #60 ranking in Attractions) and Museum of the City’s collection of over diverse nightlife (#46). But Stumptown underrated good times. 600 outfits worn over the years by the (referring to Portland’s logging past) aforementioned peeing boy. isn’t a hippie pacifist. As the eyes of the world focus on the city’s battle against shadowy federal military deployed there to quell Black Lives Matter and social justice protest, Portlanders are once again forging their reputation as an uncompromising citizenry.

RESONANCECO.COM 40 68 HELSINKI 69 VALENCIA 70 BRISBANE FINLAND SPAIN AUSTRALIA

POPULATION METRO 1,490,142 POPULATION METRO 1,733,606 POPULATION METRO 2,180,000

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23 PROSPERITY 16 WEATHER 31 CONVENTION CENTER

38 PEOPLE 18 CONVENTION CENTER 44 PEOPLE

Irreverence and saunas are Enigmatic customs and historically Rugged and cultured, Australia’s the thing in Scandinavia’s paramount places make this capital of Queensland emerging hot spot. city an undiscovered gem. does it in balance.

Though Helsinki has been named The Spanish city ranks #35 globally for You go to Sydney for beaches and the World’s Happiest City by the Place, which includes its weather— to Melbourne for culture. So what United Nations three years running, the 16th best in the world—along does Brisbane offer that you can’t find it’s only in the past few years that the with neighborhoods, landmarks and elsewhere in Australia? Quite a bit, Finnish capital has become popular monuments, and parks and outdoor actually. Brisbane, which scores high with young vagabonds, perhaps due activities. For instance, here’s a for Foreign-Born Residents (#18), is to the country’s impressive tourism landmark: the UNESCO World Heritage sunny, sophisticated and offers plenty of campaigns. A few of them are centered site called La Lonja, a 15th-century silk outdoor adventures right within the city around Helsinki’s airport (ranked exchange and one of the best examples limits. Named after the river that runs #63), which in 2019 Airports Council of Gothic civil architecture in Europe. through it, Brisbane is best explored International named “Best in the World” The Mercado Central, one of Europe’s from the water. At night. And on a for customer experience. If you do largest and oldest food markets, is kayak, too: we recommend you take in fly into Helsinki, start with a visit to across the street. The futuristic City of the shimmering lights of the cityscape Teurastamo, a former slaughterhouse Arts and Sciences, designed by Santiago during a leisurely paddle down the river. that’s now home to restaurants, cafés Calatrava and Félix Candela, is a marvel Culture vultures can soak up the art at and bars. And don’t leave town without of a more modern sort. Valencia’s parks the Queensland Art Gallery and at the experiencing the sauna culture: one include several beaches, some within Gallery of Modern Art, Australia’s largest of the coolest is Löyly, its impressive Albufera Park, a wetlands reserve with gallery of modern and contemporary cascading architecture set at the a lake and walking trails. It’s all very art. Brisbane ranks #35 for Attractions edge of the Baltic Sea. The city also Instagrammable and helps the city and #66 for Parks & Outdoors. It has ranks highly (#14) for both Educational rank #51 for Instagram Hashtags. also fared exceptionally well so far in Attainment and Income Equality. controlling COVID-19 cases—its 66 cases per million residents as of late July 2020 are an impressive testament to the country’s trust in its experts as much as to its island geography.

RESONANCECO.COM 41 71 WARSAW 72 MINNEAPOLIS 73 SHANGHAI POLAND UNITED STATES CHINA

POPULATION METRO 3,100,844 POPULATION METRO 3,629,190 POPULATION METRO 22,120,000

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21 SAFETY 14 GLOBAL 500 COMPANIES 7 PRODUCT

24 ATTRACTIONS 18 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 36 PROGRAMMING

Poland’s capital city is an economic A low unemployment rate prior One of the world’s largest and entrepreneurial hotbed with to the pandemic, culture and cities (proper) is surprisingly plenty of reasons to leave work early. affordability make Minneapolis a navigable, inviting and talent magnet. ready to blow your mind. It’s been decades since Warsaw shook off its dreary Cold War cloak, and As the site of the George Floyd murder This powerhouse of finance, while other members of the EU have at the hands of local police officers international trade, culture, science suffered economic woes in recent years, that inspired a global movement and technology ranks #10 for the Poland has flourished, slowly but surely against systemic racism and police number of Global 500 companies becoming an economic powerhouse in violence, Minneapolis has become headquartered here. Yet Shanghai is the region formerly known as “behind a household name. In addition to made of more than money, and the the Iron Curtain.” With the addition of their vital role in a fight for justice, city is lauded for its exhilarating blend high-profile architectural projects, new residents have long advocated for of past and present, industry and museums and a couple of Michelin- their city, the results of which can be leisure. It ranks #35 for Shopping, #7 starred restaurants under its belt, the seen in numerous parks, bike trails and for Restaurants and #35 for Sights & Polish capital is finally coming into its placemaking along a prime location Landmarks. This eminently walkable own as a tourist destination. And a safe, on the mighty Mississippi. With 18 city and its personality are split by the affordable one at that. (Warsaw ranks Fortune 500 companies—the most per Huangpu River: Pudong (east bank) #21 globally in our Safety category.) It capita of any American metro area— is the financial district, fringed with ranks an impressive #42 for Product, Minneapolis scores an impressive #14 towers that include the landmark which includes a #24 spot for Attractions for in our Global 500 subcategory. The spike of the retro-futuristic Oriental and #45 for Museums, of which the city city’s residents rank #26 for GDP Per Pearl Television Tower. Puxi (west has dozens if you look hard enough. Capita globally. The highly educated bank) is home to the Bund, lined with For a bird’s eye view of what post-war workforce (ranked #18 globally for the neo-Renaissance edifices that reconstruction looks like (the entire Educational Attainment) enjoys easy were home to Western businesses city was almost completely destroyed access to the rest of the world via in the 1930s, and to the wonderfully by the Nazis in World War II), climb the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International layered French Concession. A tight 150 steps to the top of Taras Widokowy. Airport (#55 for Airport Connectivity). lockdown early in the COVID-19 Once you’re done reflecting, go on Locals are eager to show off the Walker pandemic—when it was still only an the hunt for the city’s understated Art Center—featuring contemporary epidemic—led to Shanghai reporting nightlife (#58), which will roar back post works like the giant spoon sculpture, just 11 cases per million residents, if pandemic with a ferocity not seen since which has become a city trademark— official numbers are accurate. Communism was abolished. and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, known affectionately as “Mia.” With a #59 ranking for Culture, the city’s heart still belongs to beloved hometown recording artist Prince, whose suburban home and studio, Paisley Park, opened as a museum in 2016.

RESONANCECO.COM 42 74 LYON 75 ADELAIDE 76 EDMONTON FRANCE AUSTRALIA CANADA

POPULATION METRO 2,084,490 POPULATION METRO 1,205,000 POPULATION METRO 1,150,000

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

42 PROSPERITY 7 PEOPLE 28 PEOPLE

64 PRODUCT 127 PRODUCT 34 INCOME EQUALITY

Delicious and daring, Lyon is an Alive with the energy of a diverse Northern exposure, at long last. ancient river city with big plans. population and a dynamic music scene, Adelaide (literally) sings. The environment for a molecular Lyon is a city to be savored nose to tail, evolution from chilly productive past to future, literally and figuratively. The southern coastal city earns a resource town into curated hotbed If the city’s middling Attractions (#87) respectable Parks & Outdoors ranking isolated sufficiently to do its own thing and Museums (#124) rankings rise with of #100. But where Adelaide shines is in has been here for years. The University the plentiful planned investment, that’s the People category: it’s an astounding of Alberta (ranked #59 globally), healthy just icing on the gâteau. Besides being a #8 in the world for Foreign-Born immigration and the government dollars UNESCO World Heritage site, the home Residents and ranks #42 in Educational that come with being a provincial of chef Paul Bocuse is also renowned Attainment. That’s generally a recipe for capital have already created a place for its cuisine, and its #108 Restaurant an emerging cultural scene—indeed, known around the world as “The City of ranking will ascend in the future as Adelaide is where to find the country’s Festivals.” From Fringe theater to street visitors catch fragrant wind of it. Don’t best Aboriginal art, and it’s the only performers to an increasingly important miss La Confluence, a 370-acre urban designated UNESCO City of Music in international film festival, there are redevelopment that not only brings Australia. Some 300 live gigs a week more than 50 large, city-sanctioned together Lyon’s two fabled rivers—the can be savored in this city—or could, events every year. A recent downtown Rhône and the Saône—but also gives before COVID-19 hit, largely sparing revival has now catapulted the city into new life to an industrial urban wasteland. the city in terms of case numbers, but the “urban renewal” conversation that Most notable in the new development’s inflicting economic and cultural hardship has been happening in other North crown is the Musée des Confluences, as the region stamped out its cases. American industrial regions. The catalyst an architectural enigma glittering at Did we mention the pandas? Wang has been the new Rogers Place arena the very point where the rivers meet, Wang and Funi, which have been at the downtown, occupied by the National with an outstretched park disappearing city’s zoo for a decade, will continue to Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers. into the flows. Lyon also takes care of attract visitors, and hopefully to breed, But it’s not all good news. The fossil its people, scoring an impressive #17 until at least 2024, thanks to a new fuel–based economy was already in a globally for Income Equality. But it’s deal reached with China in late 2019. tough position before the pandemic also a business city, finishing #37 for and has only descended since, making the Convention Center subcategory. Alberta among Canada’s economically hardest hit provinces in 2020.

RESONANCECO.COM 43 77 MARSEILLE 78 MUSCAT 79 ATHENS FRANCE OMAN GREECE

POPULATION METRO 1,330,000 POPULATION METRO 1,205,000 POPULATION METRO 3,828,434

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

56 PROSPERITY 6 PROSPERITY 25 NIGHTLIFE

63 PEOPLE 32 PLACE 34 MUSEUMS

The oldest city in France sparkles Oman’s ancient and oil-rich As the 2,500-year-old cradle of with an average 300 days of urban heart shares the wealth. Western civilization, Athens sunshine and plenty of delights. understands resilience. Muscat is a newcomer to the Top Leading up to its designation as Europe’s 100, but with the #3 ranked Weather, The ancient capital has had a difficult Capital of Culture, the city spent billions a diverse population (ranking #7 for decade, but it has come back stronger, cleaning up and modernizing as it Foreign-Born Residents) and a high GDP just like it always does. Despite the attempted to shed its seedy reputation. Per Capita (#7) it’s sure to rise over time. cutbacks and the sacrifice, the city’s With a #161 ranking for Safety, it’s The city on the Gulf of Oman shines with heritage itself was rarely compromised. not certain that it has truly moved the white of its buildings—so painted to As such, the sustained investment is on, but a swath of new buildings on reflect the hot midday sun, with summer now blooming as jobs trickle back and the waterfront are trying regardless. temperatures frequently rising above tourist numbers snap back to levels Don’t miss Vieux Port, designed by 40°C—and is referred to in writings by not seen since the good old days. Norman Foster, who turned a site Ptolemy and Pliny the Elder, dating it What those tourists find is the Grand that’s been here for 26 centuries into back millennia. The oil-rich city saw the Promenade, a 2.5-mile-long, car-free a mesmerizing pedestrian-only zone writing on the wall in the late 1990s and and tree-lined walkway running along with a buzzing sense of place. The began diversifying its economy, and the foot of the Acropolis and connecting showstopper is at Quai des Belges, the Arab Spring convinced leaders that the city’s major archaeological sites. where a dramatic blade of reflective a broader distribution of wealth would The relative affordability of a European stainless steel creates a dreamy canopy be prudent. Today, Muscat ranks #8 for capital ($500 downtown studios!), and shelter from the sun, which shines Income Equality. In Old Muscat (just as well as the ingrained openness of almost year-round (Marseille ranks #79 south of the modern city center) take a Athenians, means new ideas and art for Weather). Nearby is the Museum drive down to the waterfront at Palace are flourishing. Athens ranks #32 in our of European and Mediterranean Beach in the cool evenings for a view of Programming category, including Top Civilizations, with a bridge designed the 15th-century Al Jalali Fort, lit up on a 25 for global Nightlife and #29 in our like a fishnet made of glass that links rocky outcrop, protecting the colorful Al Shopping subcategory. Its museums— to the 17th-century Fort Saint-Jean—a Alam Palace. as iconic a part of the city as its perfect example of the ancient and new archaeology—rank #34. coming together. The city’s residents are looked after as well: Marseille ranks #29 for Income Equality globally.

RESONANCECO.COM 44 80 STUTTGART 81 RIO DE JANEIRO 82 BALTIMORE GERMANY BRAZIL UNITED STATES

POPULATION METRO 2,778,591 POPULATION METRO 12,272,000 POPULATION METRO 2,802,789

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

16 PROSPERITY 19 GOOGLE SEARCH 6 UNIVERSITY

81 PLACE 25 UNIVERSITY RANKING 28 GDP PER CAPITA

German efficiency and Cidade Maravilhosa oozes Baltimore is far more than what hospitality combine in a with sensory delights. you know about it from television. company town with a fun side. And that’s a very good thing. Tropical and sexy, with dazzling Stuttgart is a hardworking economic beaches, samba-fueled nightlife Less than an hour’s commute from engine that performs across multiple and lush mountains that rise to the Washington, D.C., Baltimore offers a metrics with aplomb: it ranks #46 both heavens, Rio is stunning. It ranks #9 for slower pace of life and significantly for Foreign-Born Residents and for its Parks & Outdoors and #33 for Sights cheaper housing than its hyper-charged Convention Center, an unusual site in & Landmarks, and you could certainly neighbor to the south. But the time that more than half its area is green spend your entire visit exploring al to buy into one of Baltimore’s diverse, space, and the solar panels on the hall fresco. Lapa is the edgy red-light district historic communities may just be right roofs and parking lot generate surplus teeming with live-music clubs, and on now—home prices in the city reached electricity for 1,350 households. But the weekends the party spills into the street. a 10-year record in July 2020. Baltimore area around the convention center is In Copacabana there’s the Museum of is also home to world-class institutions also buzzing with pleasure and activity, Image and Sound by the New York- like Johns Hopkins University (ranked #6 as businesspeople and convention- based architects behind the High Line globally) and the National Aquarium, as goers have fueled the nearby area park. Once you’ve done the beach, swap well as a quirky culture that makes Charm along Stuttgart’s party mile for the your Havaianas for hikers and visit Tijuca City a place like no other. Johns Hopkins past few decades—a hub of bars, cafés, Forest, a national park with waterfalls, is Baltimore’s largest employer, and while clubs and intimate drinking dens. Of wildlife and Christ the Redeemer, which this may be the biggest city without a course the pandemic has crushed stands in all its glory atop the 2,329- single Fortune 500 company (and ranking both the convention business and foot Corcovado Mountain. For a less #98 in our Global 500 subcategory), general revelry, but this is one place crowded but still spectacular view of Maryland boasts a $35-billion aerospace in Germany where the bounceback the city, Sugarloaf Mountain offers a industry, and the defense contractor will be swiftest. Fortunately, Stuttgart cable car at the mouth of Guanabara Northrop Grumman is a Top 5 employer ranks #3 on the planet for Safety. The Bay. Safety (#236) is Rio de Janeiro’s of Baltimore residents. The city ranks an city is also an economic hub, boasting biggest liability, further reinforced by impressive #28 in the world in our GDP Global 500 European headquarters the country’s poor response to the Per Capita subcategory, and #37 for of companies like Daimler AG, COVID-19 pandemic. The city had Educational Attainment. It also earns a #72 Porsche, Bosch, IBM and Sika. Not 204 cases per million residents. ranking for Museums, and many—from surprisingly, the city also boasts some historic ships to the highly acclaimed can’t-miss automotive museums. Port Discovery Children’s Museum—are clustered around the Inner Harbor, which for 50 years has served as a nationwide model for the reuse of post-industrial waterfront. With impressive airport connectivity (#39) and established urban infrastructure, Baltimore is Top 50 in our vital Product category.

RESONANCECO.COM 45 83 AUCKLAND 84 COLOGNE 85 NEW ORLEANS NEW ZEALAND GERMANY UNITED STATES

POPULATION METRO 1,333,000 POPULATION METRO 1,994,524 POPULATION METRO 1,270,399

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

13 PARKS & OUTDOORS 25 PROSPERITY 25 GDP PER CAPITA

20 FOREIGN-BORN RESIDENTS 32 PRODUCT 26 PROGRAMMING

On the north island of New Zealand Cologne is open for Few cities of this size radiate the is a spectacular checklist of a city. business and pleasure. lore that New Orleans does.

Natural bounty rules in Auckland, as Despite aesthetic riches like the twin- In the face of poverty and injustice— far as visitor and resident perception is spired Cologne Cathedral, which rises and environmental catastrophes concerned. The city ranks #13 globally above the old town’s High Gothic spires, compounded by both—NoLa has for Parks & Outdoors, with almost too and the cultural bounty of places like the created a culture of presence, music many green spaces to count despite Museum Ludwig with its 20th-century and festivals that may pale in size to its diminutive size. Roam the paths art, the perception of the city lags others in the world, but never in their leading to one of the 48 dormant behind its virtues. Cologne ranks intensity. It’s why the city ranks #26 volcanic cones, many of which offer cruelly low in our Culture, Attractions globally for Programming, our category spectacular views, or cross the island and Museums subcategories. But spanning shopping, dining, after-hours on foot (just a five-hour hike)—just given that this is Cologne’s third year life and cultural events. Given the need to be able to brag that you swam on in the Top 100 cities, it’s bound to to celebrate, to seize the day, to revel in one coast and surfed on the other, ascend future rankings. It already all that fusion of humanity and culture all on the same day. But Auckland is ranks #32 in our Product category, an and sweaty new people and ideas, the also its neighborhoods. Parnell is for amalgam of University Ranking, Airport city ranks #20 in our Nightlife category. food lovers, markets and “made in NZ” Connectivity, Convention Center, After all, the party only begins in the design. Downtown’s Ponsonby has a Attractions and Museums. The reason French Quarter. It grows more refined New York West Village vibe and good for its high score? Its convention and local as it weaves into Marigny, restaurants. Not surprisingly, the city center—ranked #14 for its size globally. Bywater or the timeless jazz seduction is becoming more cosmopolitan— The city is also rising in the ranks for of Frenchmen Street. NoLa also shines the coveted hometown for risk- Safety, hitting #8 globally. Cologne is in our Shopping category, scoring a averse, isolationist tech billionaires home to Lufthansa, the second-largest #15 ranking internationally, helped by and young talent craving proximity airline in Europe (COVID-19-fallout the intoxicating treasures of Magazine to outdoor adventure alike. The willing), helping to earn it a #20 spot for Street convincing visitors that their finds city today ranks Top 20 globally for Global 500 corporate headquarters. are only available here and now. And Foreign-Born Residents. Given the they often are. In the last few years, the state of the world, Auckland’s ascent city has been renovating and expediting in this category is likely. Fortunately, projects languishing since the Hurricane the city’s original inhabitants are Katrina rebuild. Today, with one of the not going anywhere, and Auckland highest rates of COVID-19 infections remains home to the largest Polynesian among cities in the U.S., New Orleans population of any city on earth. is getting ready to rebuild again.

RESONANCECO.COM 46 86 KUWAIT CITY 87 KIEV 88 HANOVER KUWAIT UKRAINE GERMANY

POPULATION METRO 4,022,000 POPULATION METRO 2,851,000 POPULATION METRO 1,310,558

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

26 PEOPLE 6 INCOME EQUALITY 15 PROSPERITY

45 PROMOTION 27 MUSEUMS 25 PRODUCT

The Gulf’s next emerging Architecturally endowed, friendly Hello Hanover, it’s time city gleams with startling and creative, Kiev is a subdued for your close-up. contradictions. European capital on the rise. Hanover has all of the ingredients In one of the hottest cities on the Kiev, Ukraine’s capital, may not be the for upward mobility, rankings-wise: planet, it’s fitting that Kuwait’s most first European capital that pops to the 69th safest place in the world is prominent landmarks include its water mind, but it’s one of the most distinct. #70 for GDP Per Capita and #30 for towers. If you’re picturing the bucket- The city—a 1,500-year-old living Global 500 companies. Business on-stilts aesthetic of a Midwestern U.S. encyclopedia of Slavic history—is as congregates, it would seem, at the construction, though, you’re mistaken: colorful and vibrant as its nation’s flag, 4th-ranked city in our Convention this glittering cluster of towers projects with buildings painted like Ukrainian Center subcategory. All work and a modernity and efficiency that the Easter eggs and the skyline topped with no play, you say? It’s been dubbed city has become known for, especially gold domes gleaming up the hills from the most boring city in Germany, but on Instagram (#7). But with the Silk the Dnieper River. It all somehow makes you’d think otherwise if you spent an City megaproject currently under the winters tolerable as much as does afternoon at Herrenhausen Gardens, construction, the city will soon have the self-deprecation and bonhomie of one of the most important baroque an impressive new series of landmarks Kiev’s spirited locals. The city appears gardens in Europe, wandered the to hashtag, including what could be in our Top 100 for the first time in 2021, bright, playful Niki de Saint Phalle a record-breaking Mubarak al-Kabir powered by its #28 ranking in our Sights grotto and sculpture and strolled the tower. Kuwait has attracted the fourth- & Landmarks category, led by All. Those. Old Town. Most of Hanover, including largest foreign-born population, which Churches. The Pechersk Lavra complex, its glorious half-timbered Medieval is nearly canceled out by the low level an UNESCO World Heritage site, buildings, were obliterated in the of education among the citizenry stretches back a millennium and has Second World War; the remaining (#215). But overall, the city’s #26 result been key to the Orthodox Christian faith facades were cobbled back together to for People reflects its global attraction. for almost that long. Another UNESCO create what has become the new-old Extreme inequality (#263) similarly site, Saint Sophia Cathedral, rewards heart of the city, a strollable place undoes its impressive GDP Per Capita a climb up its bell tower with one of of cafés and culture, and a welcome (#3) and Unemployment (#5) rankings. the best views of the city. Then there’s break from the grind. However, Like much of its surrounding region, the storybook beauty of St. Michael’s Hanover will decidedly have to make Kuwait suffered greatly from the COVID- Golden-Domed Monastery and St. an effort to tell the world its story; 19 pandemic. Volodymyr’s Cathedral. Kiev’s museums it’s a challenging #245 in TripAdvisor rank #27 globally and range from Reviews and falling. For resilient obvious (the National Museum of Arts) Hanoverians, that’s all in a day’s work. to the “only-in-Kiev” (National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War).

RESONANCECO.COM 47 89 PERTH 90 MINSK 91 BUCHAREST AUSTRALIA BELARUS ROMANIA

POPULATION METRO 1,978,000 POPULATION METRO 2,107,000 POPULATION METRO 2,478,618

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

27 PEOPLE 25 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 11 PROSPERITY

99 PROMOTION 62 ATTRACTIONS 81 PROGRAMMING

A beautiful, isolated and A communist-era city fights another Affordable, entrepreneurial wealthy city of nearly two tyrant today in its quest for freedom. and likes to party. Romania’s million people awaits. capital swipes right. Minsk—and Belarus—are fighting for Perth has always been home for the first their lives. While the rest of the world Bucharest flies into a first-time showing Australians. At places like Six Seasons was preoccupied with the pandemic, in the Top 100 in 2020, thanks in no Gallery you can see some 3,000 Russian-backed dictator Alexander small part to the city’s astounding #3 Indigenous works of art from across Lukashenko “won” another election rank for Income Equality. The city has Australia, each offering insights into the with apparent overwhelming support. been a bright spot in Eastern Europe’s Aboriginal experience. The Noongar Allegations of rigging (again) sent burgeoning technology industry, experience is woven throughout the hundreds of thousands of protestors attracting offices for heavy-hitters 60,000-person Perth stadium, in art marching all over the country—but like Amazon, Adobe, Microsoft, IBM installations, trails, interpretative mostly in Minsk. The suppression of and Oracle but also spawning its storyboards and digital storytelling—an dissent by secret masked and unmarked own successful tech companies, like enriching foil for the cricket and football police combined with the jailing of Bitdefender. With cheap rents and played there. Perth ranks #27 for People, opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava an extremely high standard of living, including #9 for Foreign-Born Residents. all point to ongoing volatility in this it’s easy to see why young people are Perthites of every provenance are fascinating city. With Top 25 most- attracted here, and they bring the avid outdoors people, and the city’s educated citizens globally, it’s not nightlife (ranked #51) with them. The #88 ranking for Parks & Outdoors will surprising that the hunger for change Lipscani district—an ancient commercial improve as more people discover the is ravenous in a place where you can’t zone with streets named for the historic city’s investment in accessing all of drink the tap water or speak your mind trades plied on them—contains the city’s that natural bounty, including the 50 freely. The city itself is a snapshot in best collection of bars and restaurants miles of beachfront on Perth’s coastline. history: almost entirely rebuilt after as well as a growing list of shopping Perth’s poor result for Income Equality its destruction by the Nazis in WWII to opportunities, ranked #91 globally. (#205) and Unemployment (#105) post-war Soviet urban planning, and dragged its ranking down in 2020. little changed since. But with a #62 ranking in our Attractions subcategory, there are untouched relics, like the Medieval castle at Mir, scattered nearby.

RESONANCECO.COM 48 92 NASHVILLE 93 DÜSSELDORF 94 MANCHESTER UNITED STATES GERMANY UNITED KINGDOM

POPULATION METRO 1,932,099 POPULATION METRO 1,552,097 POPULATION METRO 3,348,274

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

34 UNIVERSITY 29 PROSPERITY 43 PROMOTION

41 CULTURE 34 PRODUCT 58 PRODUCT

Music City lets you worship your Is Düsseldorf Germany’s city of the A coveted university and strategic idols, and toast them frequently. future? Global investment dollars location for future-focused business definitely seem to think so. add to a historic sense of place. The city and its citizens have always taken care to invest their money Sharply dressed and modern, Manchester’s reputation as the bucking wisely, including for the preservation Düsseldorf is leading Germany’s charge engine of English industry is serving of historic buildings and to revitalize into the 21st century. While the city it well on the international stage, as it neighborhoods like Germantown, tests and builds the 5G infrastructure revisits that history through the lens which was established in the 1850s by of the future, it’s acting as the country’s of the 2020s. Castlefield, an “urban European immigrants. Such focus on telecommunications hub, and heritage park,” is one portal into that placemaking and tactical urbanism among its #30 ranking in Global 500 storied past: the canal running through will put Nashville on the map globally companies are the headquarters for it formerly transported coal into in future years. Until then, we have the Vodafone and E-Plus. But deliberate the city’s industrial hub, but today it city’s music scene thriving, particularly investments from the city in growing transports tourists through its historic as a younger generation of musicians— its tech appeal are paying off outside waters. The University of Manchester Jack White and the Black Keys come to telecommunications: it’s the third- scores the city one of its highest mind—have chosen to live and set up largest location for foreign direct rankings globally (#32) in the Product recording studios in town. You can start investment in Europe and the largest category, which also measures Airport your visit at the Country Music Hall of in Germany, leading to impressively Connectivity (#26) through direct Fame, which traces the history of the low Unemployment (#31) and enviable flights, as well as Attractions (#67). The genre. If you want to delve deeper into Income Inequality (#37). Centrally university is home to a dazzling legacy the personal stories of Willie Nelson, located for European travel with a #35 of 25 Nobel laureates, among whom four Johnny Cash and George Jones, well, rank for Airport Connectivity and #11 currently remain on staff. Manchester’s they’ve got their own museums, too—at for Convention Center, Düsseldorf is conversion from producing goods to least they will when they fully reopen an easy choice for anyone seeking ideas is well underway, and the history after the pandemic. With a #41 ranking a convenient location for a major of the workers who made that possible for Culture, the city is finally getting meeting. That is, if the future indeed is on grand display at the People’s the recognition it deserves for its long includes such luxuries as flights and History Museum. That’s something to but subtle influence on the American conferences. If it doesn’t, well, the city brag about, maybe contributing to its fabric. Should you need a respite from is extremely well positioned to handle #18 rank for Google Trends or its #52 culture and the #56-ranked Nightlife, the teleconferencing boom as well. ranking for TripAdvisor Reviews. Nashville offers a sprawling park system with more than 12,000 acres to explore by bike (B-Cycle bike-rental stations are located at greenway trailheads), or by kayak and canoe on the Harpeth River. Good thing about all that open space, too, given the high infection rates in the city after some citizens ignored early warnings about the spread of COVID-19.

RESONANCECO.COM 49 95 SACRAMENTO 96 GLASGOW 97 MEXICO CITY UNITED STATES UNITED KINGDOM MEXICO

POPULATION METRO 2,345,210 POPULATION METRO 1,830,710 POPULATION METRO 20,996,000

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32 UNIVERSITY 57 PROSPERITY 41 PROMOTION

36 WEATHER 67 PROGRAMMING 62 PROGRAMMING

Green, bountiful and affluent, Music and a pursuit of equality Latin America’s megalopolis California’s capital is big on keep Glasgow real, even as has multitudes that take local stewardship and keeping its reputation soars. a lifetime to unravel. a good thing going. Known as a working-class city with The largest city in North America is also California’s state capital is peaceful working-class values, Glasgow has one of its longest continually occupied and wealthy, ranking well in our GDP made the Top 100 on the strength urban centers. Founded as Tenochtitlan Per Capita subcategory (#51) and of those characteristics. Its high by the Aztecs in 1325 before the Spanish even better for its natural attributes, Income Equality (ranking #47) and low invasion 260 years later, Mexico City’s including epic weather (#36) courtesy Unemployment (ranking #52) highlight layers of struggle, beauty and triumph of its Mediterranean temperatures. The its success in bringing everyone along have been immortalized by its citizens City of Trees—residents claim more for the ride as its reputation grows. And like few other places have on the trees per capita than anywhere besides it’s growing, as tech startups hungry for continent. In recent years, CDMX has Paris—isn’t a stranger to cataclysmic cheap space and talent willing to bet been cleaning up its act, with safer fires: the Great Conflagration of 1852 on changing the world are moving in streets and revamped public spaces, burned 40 square blocks of the fledgling from pricier European cities like Dublin new designer hotels and exciting city, leaving what is today called Old and Amsterdam. Of course Glasgow’s cultural offerings. And, of course, there’s Sacramento, with its cobbled streets, brain power isn’t new. The eponymous the culinary scene, arguably one of the historic buildings, steam-hauled trains, university was founded in 1451 and is the most intriguing and deeply complex on horse-drawn carriages and the western fourth-oldest in the English-speaking the planet. Is it any wonder that Mexico terminus of the Pony Express. Hokey? world. It counts economist Adam Smith City—known locally as D.F., or distrito Maybe, but it undoubtedly contributes and U.S. founding father James Wilson federal—is holding on to its spot on our to the city’s rising visitor numbers—at as alumni. Being a university town, Top 100 list? In this cosmopolitan jungle least before COVID-19 hit. Some help Glasgow performs well in our Nightlife of more than 20 million inhabitants, from Mother Nature has stewarded the subcategory (#41) and the city roars to there’s plenty to see and do, from the city toward declaring itself America’s prominence at gritty venues like the Casa Luis Barragan, a UNESCO World “Farm to Fork Capital,” surrounded Sub Club, where live shows dominate. Heritage site and Insta eye candy (the by fertile farms that feed a robust Glasgow was designated the UK’s first city is #16 for Facebook Check-ins) to fresh-and-local ethos. Sacramento’s UNESCO City of Music in 2008, but the strolling the stylish neighborhoods of restaurants are only happy to tap the COVID-19 pandemic has presented an Roma and Condesa, which drip with localism. Taste it for yourself at La existential threat to many of its most greenery and an explosion of color in Cosecha in Cesar Chavez Plaza, in the popular venues. The government is their century-old mansions. The city heart of the city. The place serves up allowing drive-in outdoor concerts, but lands at #47 for Sights & Landmarks, #16 another local attribute: the city ranks #41 that’s small comfort to the club owners for Museums and #47 for Restaurants. for Foreign-Born Residents, with Time who won’t be allowed to welcome their magazine even declaring it “America’s patrons back for a long time to come. most diverse city.” With its highly educated citizenry, California’s capital ranks an impressive #43 in our key People category.

RESONANCECO.COM 50 98 SALT LAKE CITY 99 RALEIGH 100 KRACOW UNITED STATES UNITED STATES POLAND

POPULATION METRO 1,222,540 POPULATION METRO 1,362,540 POPULATION METRO 1,395,838

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18 GDP PER CAPITA 8 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 17 INCOME EQUALITY

54 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 62 GDP PER CAPITA 27 ATTRACTIONS

The Great Outdoors are calling, A booming economy and global Affordable and walkable, and Salt Lake is doing its intellect poise the Carolina Eastern Europe’s ancient best to keep you in town. powerhouse for the future. gem is shining bright.

Combining spectacular natural and built The City of Oaks checks all the boxes The historic heart of Eastern Europe is environments, Salt Lake is no longer for a bright, ambitious city of the new increasingly beating loudest in Krakow, just a gateway to the great outdoors American South: Raleigh is part of North Poland’s former capital city and the but also a welcoming destination with a Carolina’s Research Triangle, one of the country’s oldest university town. To high cool quotient. The transformation country’s largest and most successful sample the ancient city’s #27 globally began with the arrival of the XIX research parks—think high-tech and ranked attractions, all you need to do Olympic Winter Games in 2002, as biotech research and advanced textile is walk, starting in Krakow’s historic the city thawed its reputation as an development. Ranked #62 for GDP Per center, its Rynek Glówny marketplace. über-conservative cowboy town with Capita globally, Raleigh is also a magnet The Gothic spires and ornate facades Mormon family values and instead for immigrants. It ranks #31 in our People set the table for what’s to come: namely, presented a slew of quaint cafés and category, comprising the subcategories Wawel Hill and its eponymous castle, a stylish restaurants. SLC continues to of Educational Attainment and Foreign- Renaissance palace built as a gift from pour millions into development projects Born Residents. But it’s in education Italy to the 16th-century Polish king and the beautification of its downtown, where Raleighites truly shine bright— Zygmunt the Old. Famous local Pope and the city has matured into an urban ranking #8 on the planet for educated John Paul II wasn’t exaggerating when experience as much as an outdoor one. big-city citizenry. So what do all these he called Wawel “a sanctuary of Poland’s Of course, the proximity of the Wasatch smart people do for fun? They’re indoors history which cannot be entered without Range’s stunning canyons and 11,000- and out: the North Carolina Museum awe and inner trembling.” The museums, foot peaks is the reason many adrenaline of Natural Sciences attracts more than ranked #41 globally, are equally stunning. junkies travel and move here. And they a million people annually; there’s a The Czartoryski, for one, is the country’s work as hard as they play: Salt Lake City Contemporary Art Museum, bluegrass oldest museum and boasts a large ranks #18 globally for GDP Per Capita. It’s festivals and craft brews. While our collection of Polish art and memorabilia, citizenry brings the smarts as much as rankings don’t tell the food story yet (the with some immersive Italian works, the snowboards, ranking #54 globally for city comes in at #199 for Restaurants), too. But a city so ancient is very much Educational Attainment. The University the culinary scene is vividly imaginative: looking to improve livability in the of Utah ensures the brainpower keeps Bon Appétit granted one of its coveted future. It ranks Top 50 in our Safety flowing, with its #59 ranking globally in Top 10 America’s Best New Restaurants subcategory and an impressive #17 for our University subcategory. for 2017 to a quirky and beautiful Income Equality. The beneficiary of all combination brewery, bookstore, flower that security and disposable income? shop and dim sum restaurant called The city’s kinetic #35-ranked Nightlife, of Brewery Bhavana. course, powered by university students and—before the pandemic—growing international visitors.

RESONANCECO.COM 51 MALL OF BERLIN, BERLIN, GERMANY

World’s

BY CATEGORY BY

PERFORMANCE BEST CITIES RANK CITY COUNTRY PLACE PRODUCT PROGRAMMING PEOPLE PROSPERITY PROMOTION

1 London United Kingdom 20 2 2 18 41 1

2 New York United States 16 8 1 23 27 2

3 Paris France 11 3 4 36 5 3

4 Moscow Russia 3 1 6 12 64 16

5 Tokyo Japan 1 6 3 134 3 29

6 Dubai United Arab Emirates 2 94 45 2 31 4

7 Singapore Singapore 63 26 24 11 13 6

8 Barcelona Spain 9 12 11 62 84 9

9 Los Angeles United States 23 15 17 25 136 7

10 Madrid Spain 21 23 8 46 68 13

11 Rome Italy 7 19 7 129 62 5

12 Chicago United States 87 9 13 41 83 12

13 Toronto Canada 134 20 35 3 38 25

14 San Francisco United States 17 27 20 6 81 30

15 Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates 43 119 234 1 4 62

16 St. Petersburg Russia 10 10 15 13 182 72

17 Amsterdam Netherlands 34 11 19 65 24 28

18 Berlin Germany 163 17 14 60 39 18

19 Prague Czech Republic 68 18 12 67 8 39

20 Washington United States 106 45 68 14 63 10

21 Istanbul Turkey 31 16 16 156 126 8

22 Las Vegas United States 29 39 18 79 193 14

23 Doha Qatar 72 103 220 10 2 105

24 Seoul South Korea 99 22 5 122 36 64

25 Sydney Australia 37 54 51 16 152 26

RESONANCECO.COM 53 RANK CITY COUNTRY PLACE PRODUCT PROGRAMMING PEOPLE PROSPERITY PROMOTION

26 Beijing China 13 13 38 237 1 124

27 Miami United States 44 74 52 17 203 22

28 Munich Germany 188 4 78 91 10 47

29 Milan Italy 33 14 29 148 58 24

30 San Diego United States 15 65 41 30 123 38

31 Bangkok Thailand 65 57 10 171 43 17

32 Vienna Austria 22 28 30 110 22 44

33 Dublin Ireland 51 56 37 54 9 56

34 Vancouver Canada 162 72 72 5 59 61

35 Boston United States 113 35 63 21 79 42

36 Zurich Switzerland 151 47 115 15 7 127

37 Melbourne Australia 77 63 43 22 156 34

38 Budapest Hungary 54 51 27 77 46 51

39 Houston United States 139 38 55 49 76 31

40 Seattle United States 145 60 40 24 77 46

41 Montreal Canada 175 53 42 29 47 57

42 Hong Kong Hong Kong 28 44 28 160 101 15

43 Frankfurt Germany 205 5 106 87 26 88

44 São Paulo Brazil 150 33 9 181 230 11

45 Tel Aviv Israel 95 75 49 8 91 152

46 Copenhagen Denmark 202 30 58 32 32 126

47 Calgary Canada 124 97 108 9 28 113

48 Orlando United States 111 48 53 45 181 32

49 Atlanta United States 156 24 93 50 120 33

50 Dallas United States 117 36 82 51 87 40

RESONANCECO.COM 54 RANK CITY COUNTRY PLACE PRODUCT PROGRAMMING PEOPLE PROSPERITY PROMOTION

51 Hamburg Germany 131 67 47 92 12 58

52 Osaka Japan 38 78 22 139 21 69

53 Lisbon Portugal 14 59 34 115 199 54

54 Austin United States 85 95 56 33 137 55

55 Phoenix United States 39 43 46 71 175 83

56 Naples Italy 4 71 23 185 106 71

57 Oslo Norway 238 68 150 20 20 142

58 Denver United States 127 62 80 37 99 68

59 Stockholm Sweden 248 31 124 34 49 84

60 Philadelphia United States 126 52 59 59 124 60

61 Riyadh Saudi Arabia 66 92 212 53 75 37

62 Delhi India 18 41 39 209 111 23

63 Buenos Aires Argentina 42 89 21 151 216 27

64 San Jose United States 101 207 187 4 69 163

65 Brussels Belgium 247 37 48 48 93 89

66 Portland United States 157 111 44 42 85 76

67 Ottawa Canada 212 130 116 19 52 139

68 Helsinki Finland 214 66 146 38 23 177

69 Valencia Spain 35 55 102 105 104 81

70 Brisbane Australia 122 49 107 44 172 96

71 Warsaw Poland 154 42 76 114 54 80

72 Minneapolis United States 167 69 105 35 78 156

73 Shanghai China 94 7 36 236 51 101

74 Lyon France 136 64 89 98 42 94

75 Adelaide Australia 148 127 154 7 179 166

RESONANCECO.COM 55 RANK CITY COUNTRY PLACE PRODUCT PROGRAMMING PEOPLE PROSPERITY PROMOTION

76 Edmonton Canada 191 115 169 28 44 155

77 Marseille France 104 86 134 63 56 100

78 Muscat Oman 32 185 256 55 6 225

79 Athens Greece 40 61 32 140 129 85

80 Stuttgart Germany 81 99 162 89 16 122

81 Rio de Janeiro Brazil 25 91 25 189 244 19

82 Baltimore United States 173 50 114 57 108 117

83 Auckland New Zealand 69 96 118 52 88 133

84 Cologne Germany 225 32 110 121 25 90

85 New Orleans United States 128 114 26 113 158 70

86 Kuwait Kuwait 92 197 253 26 117 45

87 Kiev Ukraine 211 101 71 94 61 66

88 Hanover Germany 174 25 214 125 15 200

89 Perth Australia 120 128 197 27 145 99

90 Minsk Belarus 240 136 173 39 14 130

91 Bucharest Romania 135 113 81 120 11 103

92 Nashville United States 169 104 60 78 138 73

93 Düsseldorf Germany 190 34 160 124 29 146

94 Manchester United Kingdom 262 58 74 101 105 43

95 Sacramento United States 109 126 151 43 159 151

96 Glasgow United Kingdom 260 88 67 81 57 118

97 Mexico City Mexico 73 77 62 141 228 41

98 Salt Lake City United States 133 100 174 58 86 181

99 Raleigh United States 178 139 156 31 144 192

100 Kracow Poland 195 79 64 132 60 95

RESONANCECO.COM 56 SHAPE THE FUTURE OF YOUR CITY, COMMUNITY OR DEVELOPMENT.

As leading advisors in tourism, real estate and economic development, Resonance helps places realize their full economic potential. We take a uniquely future-focused approach to research, strategy, branding and marketing, and help our clients understand market trends, assess strengths and weaknesses, engage local communities, create strategies, envision the future and produce branding and communications that influence their audiences.

RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY Resonance tracks the sentiments of the most influential Resonance has extensive experience creating consumers and travelers today, and our original strategies for destinations from cities to mixed- benchmarking and assessment methodology offers use urban developments and resort communities. new ways to understand the way people truly perceive Our destination development strategies are the and “consume” communities, cities and destinations. product of custom benchmarking and consumer This World’s Best Cities report is an example of our research, stakeholder engagement and the crafting expertise in providing destinations and developers of a clear vision for the future. The result is a strategic with new tools and perspectives on the key factors roadmap that prioritizes the actions required to that shape a city’s competitive identity, community realize the full economic potential of place. wellbeing and future prosperity. Our research is used by National Geographic, and Bloomberg has called our city rankings “the most comprehensive study of its kind.”

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RESONANCECO.COM 57 BRANDING & MARKETING PLACEMAKING We approach the branding and marketing of places by Placemaking is a way to design underused spaces thoroughly understanding market trends, uncovering to be more enjoyable and engaging for the the aspirations of consumers and vividly articulating communities around them. Resonance placemaking sense of place in a manner that resonates with target strategies leverage the power of art, culture and audiences, be they prospective residents, visitors, experiential retail to help animate public, private tenants or investors. Brands are then propelled and under-utilized spaces, test alternative uses by marketing strategies that guide the journey of and create gathering places and unique points building audiences, credibility and meaningful of interest that draw both locals and visitors. connection. The goal isn’t merely to bring more attention, awareness and people to the brand, but to elevate the quality, value and loyalty of specific audiences in order to achieve targeted objectives.

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