Using data collected between July 2011–January 2012 KRC Research, the 36 largest cities in the country were ranked according to their achievements in providing innovative, sustainable, vibrant, efficient, and livable environments for their citizens. According to Schwartz, "These are arbitrary measures...But the measures do provide at least an outline of whether a city is future-forward or not.
In the overall rankings, "San Francisco comes out on top thanks to its many parks, arts-related businesses and jobs, high percentage of hybrid cars, and widespread use of public transportation."
Leaders in individual categories include Atlanta for innovation, Tucson for sustainability, San Francisco for vibrancy/creativity, Washington DC for efficiency, and El Paso for livability/optimism.
