61st best city in the world: Glasgow achieves improved ranking in World’s Best Cities Report

Glasgow is the 61st best city in the world, up from last year’s 93rd place on the list. Glasgow is the second ranked city in the UK after London, which came is named as the world’s best city. Manchester is ranked in 72nd place, followed by Liverpool ranked in 74th place, Birmingham at 85th and Leeds at 88th.

The report is compiled by Resonance, a leading advisor in tourism, real estate and economic development, and its World’s Best Cities rankings quantify and benchmark the relative quality of place, reputation and competitive identity for the planet’s urban centres.

Best Cities is the home of Resonance’s ranking of the world’s top urban destinations. The data is used by leading news outlets, trusted by city leaders, and is widely considered to be the world’s most comprehensive annual city ranking. Bloomberg calls it, ”The most comprehensive study of its kind; it identifies cities that are most desirable for locals, visitors, and businesspeople alike, rather than simply looking at livability or tourism appeal.”

Glasgow University, Celtic Connections and Sub Club were mentioned as the report praised the city’s nighlife, culture and music scene.

The report states: “Glasgow powers to its global ranking on the strength of its education, including the planet’s eighth-most educated citizenry and its #36-ranked university.

“People not already here are certainly noticing. Tech start-ups hungry for cheap space and talent are drawn to the city’s working-class authenticity over pricier European capitals. What they find is a long legacy of homegrown talent, stoked by the eponymous university founded in 1451, the fourth oldest in the English-speaking world. It counts economist Adam Smith and U.S. founding father James Wilson as alumni.

“Being a university town, Glasgow performs well in our Nightlife subcategory (#42) and the city roars to prominence at gritty venues like the Sub Club, where live shows dominate. Glasgow was designated the U.K.’s first UNESCO City of Music in 2008, and the need to get back out there makes nights here even more epic of late.

“Its impressive #72 spot in our Culture subcategory speaks to this year’s packed events calendar—ranging from the annual Celtic Connections festival to August’s UCI Cycling World Championships, hyped as the largest cycling event in history. Next year’s dance card is fuller still.”