With a return to normalcy slowly but surely coming back after more than a-year-and-a-half of lockdowns, social distancing and travel restrictions, many have reconsidered the utility of living in big cities.
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After all, with shops, restaurants, pubs and nightclubs closed, what is there to be done without the stimulation of human interactions? Well, according to Time Out, some cities, despite almost completely shutting down, found innovative ways of thriving. Whether that meant coming up with clever ways of keeping a sense of camaraderie alive or initiatives to better the future of its citizens, these are the top 10 best cities in the world right now.
Taking the top spot in its list is San Francisco, largely due to its quick response to keeping community spirit as high as possible while also making sure businesses remained afloat. Amsterdam came very close at number two thanks to its inherent beauty as well as its historical and cultural richness it was able to exploit during the crisis.
Cities in the UK
But what about British cities—did any of them make the cut? As it turns out, Manchester was ranked third-best city in the world, as it was considered to be:
The easiest place to express who you are, make new friends, get to know your neighbours and meet people who are different from you.
The only other city in the UK to have come close to the top 10 is London coming in at number 13 with Time Out describing it as:
The most diverse city in the world (according to a whopping 88 per cent of residents) and also the best place to discover new and surprising things, no wonder 63 per cent of residents say London is an exciting city to call home as well.
Who else made the top 10?
Copenhagen took the overall fourth spot and first in the category of 'easiest city to relax in' and came in first when looking at sustainability. New York, unsurprisingly, was ranked fifth for being named the most exciting city in the entire planet.
Montreal, the only Canadian city to have made the list, came in in at number six ranking particularly high in all things, culture, diversity, nightlife and community spirit.
Finally, Prague, Tel Aviv, Porto and Tokyo came in at the number seven, eight, nine and ten spots respectively, all ranking fairly high across the board.
