We all know York has an impressive past – but it is also one of the cities of the future, according to those august economic soothsayers at the Financial Times.
They placed our city ninth in the Top 10 Small European Cities, according to its European Cities and Regions of the Future 2014/15 review. It was the fourth of five UK cities on the list.
This was published by FDI Intelligence Magazine, an FT publication dedicated to foreign direct investment, which it calls “the major economic driver of globalisation”.
The judging panel also placed York eighth in the Small European Cities FDI Strategy category.
Top 10 Small European Cities
| Rank | City | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eindhoven | Netherlands |
| 2 | Cambridge | UK |
| 3 | Reading | UK |
| 4 | Grenoble | France |
| 5 | Utrecht | Netherlands |
| 6 | Ghent | Belgium |
| 7 | Derby | UK |
| 8 | Cork | Ireland |
| 9 | York | UK |
| 10 | Derry / Londonderry | UK |
Source: fdiintelligence.com
City of York Council chief executive Kersten England accepted an award from the report’s authors.
“With this award we have achieved our goal of becoming a top ten European city by 2015, a year ahead of schedule and we will continue to build on this in the year to come,” she said.
Council leader James Alexander said the recognition was encouraging.
“However the city is looking to constantly progress, especially with the economy and we will continue to work with partners to make the city’s economic infrastructure even better and secure further investment,” he added.
“York’s economic reputation will only further with the positive news concerning John Lewis and Hiscox who will be moving to the city in the coming months.”
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