We're No. 34! Calgary cracks upper echelon of world's top cities in new rankings

Calgary ranks 34 out of the 100 top cities in the world, thanks to its resilient energy sector, its diverse population and its natural splendours, according to a new report by an urban tourism consulting company.

The World's Best Cities 2018, compiled by Resonance Consultancy, puts London at the top, followed by New York, Paris, Moscow and Tokyo.

Among Canadian cities, both Toronto (#13) and Vancouver (#29) ranked higher than Calgary. Montreal earned the 41st spot on the list, Ottawa placed 51st and Edmonton took60th place.

The rankings evaluated each city on six broad categories:

• Place: Weather, crime rate, neighbourhoods, parks, outdoors.
• Product: Key institutions, university rankings, airport connections, entertainment, museums.
• Programming: Arts, culture, restaurant scene, shopping, nightlife.
• People: Immigration rate, diversity, education levels.
• Prosperity: Employment rate, GDP per capita, top corporations.
• Promotion: Google search results, TripAdvisor reviews and other reputation factors.

Calgary received its highest scores in the people, place and prosperity categories.

"There's an energy here of a much larger place. People walk with the velocity of New Yorkers, and cut to the chase like Texans," the report says.

The "city of risk takers" has been increasingly adept at leveling out the up and down cyclesof the energy-based economy by forging a more diverse local economy, the report says.

"As a result, Calgary ranks #20 globally in our Prosperity category, including an impressive #8 in GDP per capita, only one spot behind New York."

The city also ranks No. 8 globally on the firm's people category, partly because of Calgary's highly educated population.

Thanks to Calgary's plentiful parks and emerging neighbourhoods, the city also scores high marks in the place category.

"The city's East Village neighbourhood is a rising phoenix, on the once-neglected eastern side of the city. It today competes with any city-building project in the country," the report says.

"To further pad Calgary's impressive #40 global rank for Parks and Outdoor Activities, the East Village's revitalized St. Patrick's Island, a 31-acre urban oasis with a picnic grove, natural playground and fishing cove, connect locals and visitors to the under-appreciated Bow River."

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