Zurich is a city with a future, according to fDi Intelligence. In its latest report European Cities and Regions of the Future 2018/19, the affiliate of the Financial Times ranked the city on the Limmat a clear #1 among medium-sized cities, ahead of its competitors Edinburgh, Bratislava, Vilnius, Bristol and Gothenburg. Zurich also came out on top in the sub-categories economic potential, human capital and business friendliness. Even in the category network it came in a strong fourth.
Zurich scored very strongly in comparison to larger cities too. In the overall ranking of all cities regardless of size, Zurich came in eighth place, behind such heavyweights as London, Paris and Frankfurt and ahead of strong competitors like Cambridge, Luxembourg, Berlin and Copenhagen.
Zurich’s mayor Corine Mauch is pleased with Zurich’s strong ranking.
“Due to our high standard of living, political stability, a top-notch quality of life and a wide range of cultural and recreational activities, the city of Zurich attracts highly educated and specialized people from all over the world,” said Mauch.
“These business-friendly conditions allow companies to innovate, develop and grow.”
The canton of Zurich also scored extremely well, coming in second place among the smaller European regions, just behind the Dublin region. The canton of Zug, another canton of the Greater Zurich Area, came in seventh.
In terms of economic potential, the canton of Zurich ranked third and Zug sixth. In human capital, the canton of Zurich came in third and Zug in fourth. Business friendliness likewise rated well: Zurich ranked fourth, Zug fifth.
The two cantons also performed well in the overall ranking of all regions. The canton of Zurich came in seventh, ahead of strong competitors like Scotland, Northern Holland and Hamburg. Zug came in 23rd among the most promising regions in Europe.
“Zug offers stability, attractive taxation, quality of life, high level of education, and a business friendly environment,” said Beat Bachmann, head of the Economic Promotion Office at the canton of Zug.
Image Credit: Katrin Gilger / Flickr
