City leaders have welcomed a new global report which has ranked Glasgow as the 61st best city on the planet.
The annual World’s Best Cities Report by global place branding adviser Resonance Consultancy has seen Scotland’s largest city soar up the rankings from its 93rd position last year.
Glasgow is the second ranked UK city after London, which came in again as the world’s best city, with Manchester 11 places behind at 72. Liverpool was ranked at 74, Birmingham at 85 and Leeds at 88.
Resonance praised for Glasgow states that the city “powers to its global ranking on the strength of its education, including the planet’s eight most educated citizenry and its #36th ranked university” and that “start-ups hungry for cheap space and talent are drawn to the city’s working-class authenticity”.
It also praised Glasgow’s music scene and nightlife, which it lists as the world’s 42nd best, as well as its cultural offering, ranked as 72. It adds: “People not already here are certainly noticing.”
Lauded as the world's most thorough city ranking, the annual World’s Best Cities Report is based on methodology that analyses key statistics, user-generated reviews, social media and online activity. The rankings quantify and benchmark qualities of place, reputation and competitive identity for major urban centres.
Bloomberg describes the annual report as "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 liveability or tourism appeal".
Council leader Susan Aitken was joined by business chiefs and university leaders in welcoming the findings, which they said were testament to the commitment to developing the skills and qualifications of citizens and hard work in attracting talent and investment to the city.
Cllr Aitken said: “In a list dominated by global capitals and long-established A-list urban centres, this is an incredible endorsement for Glasgow. Resonance prides itself on providing investors and visitors with objective rankings which go far beyond the usual surveys on cities.
“International recognition like this has the potential to be hugely important in the context of Glasgow’s place in a changing international economy.
“Major investors are making choices factoring in skills, workforces and pipelines of talent, liveability and affordability. The World Cities rankings confirms Glasgow as a genuine global contender, one ready to lure the investment no longer attracted to overpriced capital cities.”
Stuart Patrick, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive said: “It’s pleasing to see Glasgow’s unique attributes recognised by such a robust and comprehensive research consultancy. It really adds credibility to the city’s reputation, which continues to evolve.
“When we consider the rapid growth of innovation, tech and education here, it’s perhaps not a surprise to locals, but I’m sure our high ranking will catch the attention of new international investors who continue to see the potential in Glasgow.”
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal & Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde and Co-Chair of the Glasgow Economic Leadership Board, said: “Glasgow is a city with a rich history, a thriving present, wonderful people and a future of vast possibilities. The University of Strathclyde is positioned at the heart of the city and makes a major contribution to its educational, economic and social prosperity.
“Resonance rightly identifies Glasgow as a city where start-up companies can flourish. In particular, Glasgow City Innovation District, of which Strathclyde is the principal driving force, is a place where these businesses have the infrastructure to develop their enterprising ideas to fruition, driven by great talent, access to leading research, an entrepreneurial spirit and a step change in private investment levels.”
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow said: “I’m delighted to see this result for Glasgow. Our city is home to a variety of talent, with world-leading universities and cutting-edge research and innovation. It’s fantastic to see Glasgow’s education and entrepreneurship offering cited as reasons for its success.
“We are proud of the reputation Glasgow has built, with Universities like ours working closely with the City Government, businesses, stakeholders and most importantly our local communities, to drive inclusive growth in key sectors like life sciences, quantum technologies, MedTech and through cultural and creative economies.”
Welcoming Glasgow’s rankings, Sub Club managing director and chair of the Night Time Industries Association Scotland, Mike Grieve, said: “Glasgow has long enjoyed a reputation around the world for the excellence of its nightlife and live music scene and I’m delighted to see that recognised.
“Late night culture is an important driver of the broader cultural imprint of the city, and the emergence of world class record labels and innovative DJ collectives and music producers in Glasgow since the late 1980s has sustained the provenance of our status as world leaders in club culture.
“The impact this has had on the city is plain to see as Glasgow continues to attract students and creatives from around the world, informing the future pathway to building a 21st century city centre of genuine substance.”
In the rankings, Glasgow was bookended either side by Montreal at No.60 and Shanghai at No.62.
The Top 10 cities were London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Dubai, San Francisco, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Seoul.
The World Best Cities rankings can be found here: https://www.worldsbestcities.com/rankings/worlds-best-cities/
