Last year was a pretty good year when it comes to Chicago being told it was good at things. We were deemed one of the best places to spend Christmas and praised for having the best airport in North America while Chicago bars were acknowledged as some of the best in the world and the most LGBTQ+-friendly in the country.
Oh, and of course, we were named the best big city in the United States for the sixth year in a row by Condé Nast Traveler!
It seems, however, that we’ve outdone ourselves once more after Chicago was recently ranked in the top 15 cities on the planet.
Resonance Consultancy, an international consulting group behind worldsbestcities.com, recently released its ranking of the best cities “to live, work, invest and visit in a new global reality” placing Chicago at number 13.
Claiming to be “building the most comprehensive city rankings on the planet”, Resonance’s annual list ranks global cities with populations of more than one million by using “a combination of statistical performance and qualitative evaluations by locals and visitors in 24 areas grouped into six core categories.”
Place, Product, Programming, People, Prosperity, and Promotion are the 6 core categories but within these things like a city’s diversity, attractions and nightlife, employment rate, education, income equality, and even Facebook Check-ins are considered.
In the Place category alone, for example, Resonance evaluates “the perceived quality of its natural and built environments from how often the sun shines to the safety of the streets” along with the number of sights, landmarks, quality parks, and outdoor activities recommended by locals and visitors.
Coming in at number #13, “America’s great Midwest metropolis” was acknowledged for its “abundance of programming and culture, with the deep infrastructure and affordability that eludes many other cities.”
Resonance wrote that “the hardships of 2020 and 2021 only meant that the Windy City was springloaded for a breakout in 2022, powered by a fully operational O’Hare International, the #5 airport in the world as measured by the number of direct destinations served.”
It also recognized Chicago’s position with the 19th-most Global 500 headquarters on the planet and renewed investment in what it called “America’s long-reigning Midwest economic powerhouse.”
Chicago’s sights, landmarks, and public art pieces received special mention as did its nightlife which Resonance deemed the 11th best on the planet. The most attention, however, was paid to Chicago’s revered hospitality scene namedropping new restaurants such as Chef José Andrés’ Bazaar Meat and Bar Mar inside Bank of America’s new Chicago headquarters as well as the debut of the youngest Michelin-starred chef, Donald Young’s French brasserie Venteux.
Of the 100 metropolitan areas with populations of more than one million that were looked at London, England, was ranked the best city in the world, followed by Paris, France in second, and New York City in third.
Los Angeles was the only other United States city to finish above us pipping us to 12th place while San Francisco followed us in 14th ahead of Washington in 17th.
Though we all know we should be higher up, the top 15 is still pretty good when there are over 500 cities with at least 1 million inhabitants globally. (By 2030, a projected 662 cities will have at least 1 million residents according to a UN report).
Read the report by Resonance in full at worldsbestcities.com.
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