Which cities have improved/risen in prominence, which have declined? Say in the last 20-30 years? (crime, best)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't know if I'm right, but I get the feeling Madrid is one city which has improved. It seems possibly the 3rd most prominent city in the EU now overall (or is set to be) and is lauded for quality of life and it's metro. Ironical when Spain seems to be struggling.
London is still holding strong given the UK's woes but it's never really sunk. In the 50s it seemed a rather dull place but now it's exciting, international and again can go toe to toe (and in some ways exceed) New York.
Manchester seems to be having a renaissance. Milan in Italy seems booming, at least judging from the massive crowds shopping I saw and the cranes building Italy's first real skyline.
Athens has probably fallen.
I can't really speak for other cities. How do they compare to how they were in say 1990 or so?
Helsinki rose from a yuppie-city neighboring the Soviet Union in the 80's to a truly international and multicultural city. It defeated suburbanization and became a transport and commercial hub on an international scale. As a backlash, the apartment prices are becoming close to Paris.
I don't know if Milan has risen in prominence. It has always been perceived as Italy's economic engine (with Torino perhaps) and it hasn't changed. I agree that Madrid's prominence is higher than it used to be, but 3rd in the EU? I guess it depends on the point of view but I'd say in general, Amsterdam and Berlin are still ahead? In my mind, the saying used to be "if you go to Spain, go to Barcelona and Andalusia (Sevilla Cordoba etc), you can skip Madrid", and now Madrid is a must too.
Economically, Warszawa has risen (and Moscow too if you include Russia). I can't really think of any cities that have "fallen"... maybe Barcelona vs. the Olympics peak?
Lisbon, which is being regarded as new "Barcelona" of Europe. Nowadays culturally it´s at the same level of Madrid and Barcelona, and it´s a resing touristic destination
Prague is excellent. Fairly low crime, lower cost of living compared to most large European cities.
Paris seems to be declining. Costs keep going up, so does crime. The areas which used to be decent 20-30 years ago are now somewhat ghetto.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.