Yes, Bilbao, in the heart of Spain’s Basque Country, is still basking in the three-decade afterglow of the 1997 opening of the Guggenheim Bilbao, Frank Gehry’s titanium- clad museum that made both the city and its architect global icons. It has also leveraged its vision into building one of Europe’s most ambitious secondary cities. Today, Bilbao revels under the cover of its own political autonomy, optimising a hybrid tax system that funds Europe’s Top 3 healthcare system which includes accessibility-first investments like free public elevators that link the city’s #13-ranked green spaces. Sure, the Guggenheim’s destination architecture still draws hundreds of thousands annually, but as one of Europe’s most welcoming cities (ranked #33 in our overall Livability index), Bilbao is building a resilient hometown that’s not afraid to take risks. Consider the daring architectural innovations of Santiago Calatrava’s Zubizuri Bridge and Bilbao Airport, and Zaha Hadid’s redevelopment of Zorrotzaurre, a 2.4-kilometre artificial peninsula in the heart of Bilbao that is being transformed into a smart city district. Then there’s the mind-boggling transit and mobility infrastructure buildout. No wonder this is also a stealthy, affordable business headquarters that includes multinational utility company Iberdrola and financial giant BBVA—drawn here by the continent’s 126th most-educated citizenry.