A great place to live

The rise of populism has transformed politics across the board. Meanwhile, western European capitals have been rocked by multiple terrorist attacks. Life in cities has, as a result, changed drastically. This time around, Monocle’s team of editors, researchers and correspondents looked into how many terrorist attacks there have been in the past decade in each city and asks the questions: At what point does terrorism affect the way you behave in a city? Has the atmosphere on the streets of Paris or Berlin become more nervy? What can be done to make residents feel more secure?
Meanwhile, as affordability becomes an evergreater problem for all cities, the Monocle Quality of Life Survey reveals which ones are doing most to make urban life cheaper for young people and new arrivals. This includes both serious policy questions – how many homes have been built in the past year? – and the more prosaic yet no less important – can you have a good lunch for less than 10 euros (Bt380)
As a mark of how essential creativity and entrepreneurship are to vibrant urban life, the survey also takes into account how many design schools each city has and how many new business ventures have been launched in the past year. Plus, among the morethan 60 metrics used to rank the world’s best cities are also factors that have returned year after year, from the big infrastructure projects on the way to the price of education.
For the third year in a row, Tokyo clinches the numberone spot (the only city to top the index three times backtoback) and cements its position as the world’s most liveable city. Taking silver this year is Vienna, which has swapped positions with Berlin, which now lies in third having been runnerup in 2016. Munich shares third place with the capital, while the rest of the top 10 is made up of Melbourne, Copenhagen, Sydney, Zuich, Hamburg and Madrid. The Spanish capital has had a good year, creeping into the top 10 after sitting in 14th place in 2016.
Germany is again the survey’s single most successful nation, with four cities in the top 25 (Dusseldorf also makes the list at number 19). Kyoto and Fukuoka, which were both in the top 10 last year, fall to 12 and 14 respectively. Meanwhile, Oslo and Brisbane make the cut again in 2017, meaning that Honolulu and Montreal miss out.
Monocle’s 2017 Quality of Life Survey – in association with Lombard Odier – can be found in the July/August double issue of the magazine.

The full Monocle Quality of Life Survey listing

1. Tokyo
2. Vienna
3. Berlin
3. Munich
5. Melbourne
6. Copenhagen
7. Sydney
8. Zurich
9. Hamburg
10. Madrid
11. Stockholm
12. Kyoto
13. Helsinki
14. Fukuoka
15. Hong Kong
16. Lisbon
17. Barcelona
18. Vancouver
19. Dusseldorf
20. Amsterdam
21. Singapore
22. Auckland
23. Brisbane
24. Portland, Oregon
25. Oslo