In 2014, we launched the inaugural Youthful Cities Index, the first ever ranking of metropolises from a youth perspective. In collaboration with thousands of young people around the world (across five global regions), we developed a rich reservoir of youth-centered data on what matters to young people in their cities. Over 100 unique indicators were developed to measure all aspects of life in a city — from green space, public transportation and access to education to diversity of food, nightlife and entrepreneurship. We are proud to say that the Financial Times has backed our methodology and that their statisticians have given us their seal of approval.
The Urban Work Index 2023 ranks 30 cities across Canada to find the best places for youth to work and live.
Young people live in a monthly deficit position in Canadian cities making urban centers unaffordable to the country's future generations. On average young people are losing $750 per month by living in cities across the country.
In 2019 Youthful Cities launched the first Urban Work Index with the help of RBC Future Launch and focused on topic areas traditionally associated with work and cities like affordability, employment, and entrepreneurship.
The Youthful Cities Program is a partnership between Coventry UK City of Culture, the British Council and Youthful Cities to facilitate a cultural and creative skills exchange between young people across the globe. It has been developed to enable young adults (age 18-25) to creatively respond to important, urgent and youth-focused issues in their cities, encouraging more active participation in civic matters.
Where is the best place for urban work in Canada? We set out to answer this question with our Urban Work Index, ranking 21 cities across Canada on various attributes to create a holistic picture of work.