Montreal has been ranked among the top 20 best cities in the world, according to Resonance Consultancy’s World Best Cities 2021 report.
The tourism, real estate, and economic development advisor, based out of Vancouver and New York, releases the ranking annually. This year, Montreal placed 41st — four spots higher than last year.
According to the report, Montreal is wedged in between Seattle (40th) and Hong Kong (42nd) and is the third-highest ranked Canadian city on the list.
Taking the top three posts are London, New York, and Paris.
The report ranks the relative quality of the world’s “principal cities” — the largest city in each metropolitan statistical area — with populations of one million or more, based on categories ranging from the physical place to prosperity to people.
The report analyzes cities based on the following categories:
Place – Focuses on the layers of a location’s physical experience. Think weather, safety, neighbourhoods and landmarks, and the great outdoors.
People — Focuses on diversity in the city and notes that human capital is often a city’s most valuable resource.
Product – Described as the ranking of a city’s “hardware,” looks at airport connectivity, attractions, museums, university rankings, and the like.
Prosperity – Focuses on number of Global 500 corporate headquarters and GDP — Gross Domestic Product — per capita.
Programming – Measuring “the experiential pillars of a great visit: food, shows, shopping and nightlife,” this category encompasses culture, nightlife, dining, and shopping.
Promotion – Covering a city’s “ability to tell its story,” this section looks at Facebook check-ins, TripAdvisor reviews, Google searches, Instagram hashtags, and more.
Montreal grabbed 41st thanks to its income equality and culture. The report says Montreal is the “French heart” of Canada and quoted the city as being “outgoing and embracing” thanks in part to our two-cheek kissing.
“Despite the cancellation of iconic programming like the Grand Prix, the city acted swiftly to turn major streets into creatively-styled outdoor hangouts with art and music, and vastly increased bike lanes.”
The ranking gave points to Montreal for its highly-rated universities, the emergence of AI tech, and the city’s number of foreign-born citizens.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear,” concluded the Montreal blurb, “the city’s future may be more dependent on its growing brain than on its considerable heart.”
Other ranking Canadian spots on the overall list include Toronto at 13th, Vancouver at 34th, Calgary at 47th, Ottawa at 67th, and Edmonton at 76th.
With files from Clarrie Feinstein
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