2009 Award Winner

Edmonton tops 9 American cities, named most Sociable City in North America

The Responsible Hospitality Institute named Edmonton the most Sociable City in North America at the first Sociable City Awards held in Austin, Texas.

Sociable cities are proactive in planning, managing and policing dining and entertainment districts.
“We’re honoured for the recognition and proud to work closely with our many partners in the industry, community and government. Our work through Responsible Hospitality Edmonton (RHE) definitely contributes to Edmonton’s renowned high quality of life,” says Angela Turner, RHE Project Coordinator.

“The cities that received awards are outstanding models for planning and managing nightlife. Their city leaders are at the forefront of innovation for harnessing dining and entertainment as an economic engine to drive revitalization and increase city funds,” says RHI president Jim Peters.
Other major North American cities competing with Edmonton for the coveted title included:

• Long Beach, Santa Rosa, Livermore and San Jose, California,
• Gainesville and West Palm Beach, Florida
• Seattle, Washington
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The City of Edmonton created RHE to plan, manage and police 13 hospitality and entertainment district zones throughout the city to support community development, revitalization, safety and economic development.

Edmonton has become the go-to city for others to learn about safely managing entertainment districts such as our vibrant Old Strathcona district. RHE was invited to the New York Regional Forum where cities like Boston, Philadelphia and New York examined Edmonton’s successful strategies. At the annual networking conference in Austin, Texas, where Edmonton won top honours, RHE was invited to present Edmonton as a showcase city and the City of Pittsburgh also consulted Edmonton to learn about how it successfully evolved the management of Whyte Avenue in the Old Strathcona district.

Criteria to determine the top sociable city focused on safety and vibrancy to encourage partnerships, proactive compliance education and training, public space entertainment, multi-cultural and/or multi-generational activities and public services supporting an active nightlife. Full criteria details available from the RHI release.

 
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