What makes a great city? To Resonance Consultancy—who describe itself as “the leading global benchmark of perception and performance for urban economies”—it comes down to three things: lovability, livability and prosperity.
What that means in layman’s terms is:
- The quality of a city (green space, healthcare, housing, air quality, etc.)
- The vibrancy of a city (nightlife, shopping, museums, restaurants, etc.)
- The wealth of a city (companies, universities, airport, GDP, poverty and unemployment, etc.)
To compile its Europe’s Best Cities 2025 list, it used a combination of core statistics and user-generated data from online sources such as Google, Tripadvisor and Instagram. There’s way too much data to go into here, but the most important thing is, yes, Birmingham made the cut.
Why is Birmingham one of Europe’s Best Cities?
After other UK cities, London (1), Edinburgh (12) and Glasgow (28), Birmingham came 30th among Europe’s Best Cities and was noted for resuming “the skyward trajectory of its Golden Decade before COVID hit.”
Highlights of Birmingham’s ranking were its attractions (based on Tripadvisor reviews rated above 4 stars), which came 3rd; and nightlife (based on local nightlife experiences also rated above four stars on Tripadvisor), which came 10th.
“The 2010s saw a massive influx of Fortune 500 regional offices chasing one of Europe’s youngest workforces (about 40% of Brummies are under 25) and their coveted skills in finance and professional services honed at the city’s eponymous university (and the Top 10 nightlife scene it fuels).
“Urban investment followed, from the opening of Europe’s largest library to plans (coming to life at the end of this decade) for the HS2 high-speed rail network connecting Birmingham to London in 45 minutes.”
Other notable reasons for its ranking include Birmingham’s convenient airport, staggering job creation (especially in life sciences and green technology), and the recent new headquarters of the national tourism agency, VisitBritain/VisitEngland.
Europe’s 10 Best Cities:
- London
- Paris
- Berlin
- Barcelona
- Rome
- Madrid
- Amsterdam
- Vienna
- Prague
- Stockholm
To see all of Europe’s 100 Best Cities head here.