Oslo is among Europe's best cities. Few know it. Now the city's key players unite behind one shared story.

New independent rankings show that Oslo is fully on par with Stockholm and Copenhagen on quality of life and economics. Yet international awareness of the city lags behind. On Thursday, June 4, Oslo&Co brought together 35 leaders from Oslo’s most internationally active organizations to change that. The event “Building Oslo Together” was the premiere of a new narrative and toolkit for how Oslo should tell its story to the world.

The Facts: Oslo is Not Living Up to Its Potential

Jeremie Feinblatt from Resonance Consultancy, responsible for the World’s Best Cities and Europe’s Best Cities rankings, presented the data at “Building Oslo Together”: Oslo ranks #11 in Europe on the Best Cities index, #8 on Economic Opportunity, and #9 on liveability. Globally, Oslo ranks in the top 10 for labor market quality, investment climate, and access to talent.

Yet, Oslo ranks significantly lower than Stockholm and Copenhagen on international visibility and recognition (called “lovability” in the ranking), despite the three cities being on par with each other on all other parameters.

– Your narratives have been apologetic and not aggressive enough, Feinblatt said about Oslo. That’s the diagnosis Oslo&Co is now addressing.

A Political and Practical Mandate

Mehmet Kaan Inan, Vice Mayor for Culture and Business for the City of Oslo, opened the event with a clear message: Oslo should be a “yes city” that is ambitious on its own behalf. Not just a participant in the competition, but an actor that will make a real difference internationally.

Mehmet Kaan Inan, Vice Mayor for Culture and Business for the City of Oslo, speaking at Building Oslo Together, 4 June 2026. Photo: Oslo&Co/Sam Nicholson.

– What we’re doing today is not deciding what Oslo should be. Oslo already is something, Inan said. – What we’re doing is agreeing to tell that story together, clearly and consistently, to the world out there who doesn’t yet know what they’re missing. — Mehmet Kaan Inan, Vice Mayor for Culture and Business for the City of Oslo

Last autumn, Oslo municipality gave Oslo&Co the mandate to update the city brand’s content and context relative to the 2015 strategy. The work involves ensuring that all actors who profile Oslo, regardless of sector, use the same narrative and have the same toolkit.

The work is based on a review of 44 sources, over 20 in-depth interviews, and workshops with actors both in Oslo and internationally. Development of the final narrative and toolkit has been carried out in collaboration with the agency Nourish Global and production company Willy.

– The involvement has been extensive, and everyone we’ve spoken with has been clear that there’s a need not only to bring ourselves together and be clearer as one, but also that we can lean forward with greater confidence, stand more solidly in who we are and what we have to offer. That very possibility is also confirmed by the data we’ve received from Resonance, says Lene Lyck Fasting, Head of Communications and Brand at Oslo&Co.

– We’re now concluding what Oslo’s position and narrative should be. In the analysis and conversations, we found the building blocks of the narrative, and in the method we found the stretch we need and the journey we must take together. We want to create more curiosity and show ambition for how we want people to experience Oslo. That we can surprise a little, and take a position where we add more emotion.

A Refreshingly Different Capital

The result is a position formulated as “Oslo is a refreshingly different capital.” It rests on four characteristics: a mindset defined by openness and trust, a pace that makes it easy to switch off and on, an offering broader than the city’s size would suggest, and an accessibility that makes all of Oslo easy to navigate, where everything is close.

– What makes this position strong, and what sets it apart from a generic city description, is that Oslo has done this intentionally. It’s been planned through active social and political choices to be a city where nature is woven into the fabric so we can easily both switch off and on, where we create conditions for good collaboration and dare to invest and build. And where everything is close, accessible and open. And where we all have the opportunity to breathe freely in every way, says Lyck Fasting.

– Oslo has strong actors already doing good international work. What we’ve lacked is one shared language and one shared infrastructure to do it. That’s now in place. City branding is not an emotional side note, it’s about positions that mean business and value creation for us all. This should be a narrative that everyone who wants to attract investors, talent, or visitors to Oslo can use, says Siw Andersen, CEO of Oslo&Co.

From Multiple Voices to One

The panel included Marie Mostad, CEO of StartupLab, Kristina Finne, Commercial Director at MUNCH, and Joachim Westher Andersen from Avinor. The tone of the panel reflected the need for coordination.

From left: Joachim Westher Andersen (Avinor), Jeremie Feinblatt (Resonance Consultancy), Siw Andersen (CEO, Oslo&Co), Marie Mostad (CEO, StartupLab), Kristina Finne (Commercial Director, MUNCH) and Lene Lyck Fasting (Head of Communications & Brand, Oslo&Co) at Building Oslo Together, 4 June 2026. Photo: Oslo&Co/Sam Nicholson.

– Now we need to sit down around the same table and figure out how we can invest more and better together, and own this together, said Joachim Westher Andersen.

– We have every reason to have far more confidence on behalf of ourselves. Now we must stand together, show courageous leadership, and ensure that we use the confidence that the numbers show we haven’t had, said Kristina Finne.

– Let’s stop comparing ourselves to others and instead show everything we have, and let’s do it loudly, urged Marie Mostad.

The narrative and brand assets

The narrative and brand assets are available on our website at osloandco.no/the-oslo-brand.

We at Oslo&Co are planning:

• Workshops and learning sessions for organizations that want to use it
• Joint initiatives and campaigns
• Regular updates to the factual foundation
• Adjustments and additions to the toolkit

Resonance’s Best Cities ranking will be Oslo&Co’s most important external benchmark going forward.