Skip to main content

"Houston is the American City of the Future," Leads Texas in Global Cities Report

Published Nov 03, 2020 by Maggie Martin

Hermann Park cropped

Houston is one of the best cities in the world - and No. 1 in Texas, according to Resonance Consultancy

The consulting giant, which specializes in tourism, real estate and economic development, released its sixth annual World's Best Cities report last week. Houston came in at No. 39, down from No. 32 last year. Other Texas cities on the list include Austin (No. 54) and Dallas (No. 50).

The report scored the world’s best cities based on six metrics: Place, Product, Programming, People, Prosperity and Promotion. Resonance highlighted two of these rankings for Houston. The city came in at No. 31 on Promotion, which refers to the quality of stories, references and recommendations shared online about a city. Houston also came in at No. 38 for Product, or the city's key institutions, attractions and infrastructure. 

In its description, Resonance deemed Houston as the American city of the future, highlighting several of Houston's characteristics that make it stand out from other global cities, including Houston's diversity, population growth and dining. The report also called out Houston as home to the fourth-largest number of Fortune 500 companies in the world, as well as its place on the lists' GDP Per Capita subcategory (No. 10). Resonance also highlighted the Houston Spaceport, a hub for innovation, education, and commercial spaceflight, as the future of the region's space industry. 

"The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us and our cities in ways none of us have ever experienced before," said Chris Fair, Resonance Consultancy president and CEO. "It’s caused us to reexamine and rethink the way we’ll want to live, work and play in the future. If there’s one thing that social distancing has taught us, it’s that the shared spaces we were asked to close and avoid—from parks to restaurants to sporting venues, museums and galleries—are what we cherish most about the cities we live in or love to visit. The planet’s large cities—with MSA populations of more than a million people—face imminent and myriad challenges that will define their next decade and beyond."

The global ranking comes a couple of months after Houston ranked No. 11 for the second year in a row on the America’s 100 Best Cities list, also produced by Resonance. 

See the full list of World's Best Cities by Rsonance Consultancy

Related News

Aerospace & Aviation

Houston House Returns to SXSW to Spotlight Tech and Innovation

3/17/23
Houston House returned to Austin for the South by Southwest Conference for its third year, bringing a new group of panelists and industry experts together to deliver a full day of thought-provoking content for over 750 attendees. Houston-based industry leaders and innovators discussed the startup journey, how they’re challenging the status quo in their respective industries to improve products or services, and more. If you were unable to join the Partnership at SXSW, check out our recap of the conversations below.    Demystifying the Startup Journey  Houston House kicked off its day of programming by dispelling the mystique surrounding the startup journey and answering questions about hiring, funding, and finding the right product-market fit. Panelists discussed in-depth how to find and attract the right talent, including cost-effective strategies and solutions for cash-strapped founders, and what they wished they had done differently during their various rounds of funding.  Panelists:  Ted Gutierrez, Co-Founder and CEO, SecurityGate.io  Gaurav Khandelwal, Founder and CEO, Velostics  Simone May, Co-Founder and CTO, Clutch  Moderator: Natalie Harms, Editor, Innovation Map    The Future is Female: Triumphs of Women in Tech  It’s no secret that female founders face a unique set of challenges compared to their male counterparts, especially when funding their next business venture. The panel discussed funding challenges, how they challenge stereotypes in male-dominated industries, and overcoming the feelings of guilt and inadequacy that plague women in business.  “The insecurity women feel that ‘we're not good enough' needs to go. Men don't experience that.” - Lydia Davies, Founder & CEO of TEAMATES  Panelists:  Lydia Davies, Founder and CEO, TEAMATES  Taci Pereira, CEO, Systemic Bio  Janice Tran, Co-Founder and CEO, Kanin Energy  Moderator: Carrie Colbert, Founding and General Partner, Curate Capital    Building a Tech Unicorn  Every tech startup hopes to become the next unicorn, but not everyone makes the cut. Featuring an in-depth conversation with Solugen’s co-founder and CEO, Gaurab Chakrabarti, the panel covered his background growing up in Houston, the surprising marketing campaign that put Solugen on the map, and the journey leading to it becoming a tech unicorn.  Gaurab Chakrabarti, Co-Founder and CEO, Solugen  Moderator: Payal Patel, Principal, Softeq Ventures and Director, Softeq Venture Studio    Click to expand People packed the room at Houston House to hear from Solugen CEO Gaurab Chakrabarti.   Unlocking the Power of AI: Insights & Innovations  Technology and innovation converged in this panel discussing recent developments in artificial intelligence and what the future of business will look like as it becomes more widespread and advanced, including the policies and legislation that may become necessary as AI becomes more intelligent. From song lyrics written in the style of Taylor Swift to how the health care industry is utilizing this technology to better serve its patients, it is clear that we are just beginning to scratch the surface of AI’s capabilities.  “The Ion [in Houston] is going to bring innovation, elevate clean tech energy, and push health care to the next level. That’s why we want to be involved and that’s why you should too.” - Murat Uralkan, Director of Innovation at Houston Methodist Panelists:  Sidd Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO, Nesh  Rob Meadows, Founder and CEO, AI Foundation  Murat Uralkan, Director of Innovation, Houston Methodist  Moderator: Dave Mathews, Principal Venture Capitalist and CTO Advisor, Softeq    Connecting Industries, Empowering Innovation  Ever wondered what it looks like when the brightest minds in different industries come together? The nexus of innovation and collaboration across industries in Houston took center stage in this discussion of how industry leaders can continue to break down traditional barriers and create advancements in everything from biotech to the energy transition.  Panelists:  Barbara Belvisi, Founder and CEO, Interstellar Lab  Moji Karimi, Co-Founder and CEO, Cemvita Factory  Nic Radford, Founder, President, and CEO, Nauticus Robotics  Moderator: Brad Rossacci, Creative Director, Accenture  The Houston House program at SXSW 2023 will be available to stream on-demand soon.  Learn more about Houston’s innovation ecosystem. 
Read More

Related Events

Economy

Economy Series - April

The Greater Houston Partnership's Economy Series presents exclusive data and examines trends impacting our economy on a local and state level.  Join us for this highly anticipated discussion featuring the…

Learn More
Learn More
Executive Partners