(and its design) has our gold medal
Good looks, brains, perfect proportions,
a sunny disposition and a sense of
humour are always a winning combination
– no matter what the competition.
In the urban quality of life stakes a mix of
all these, plus a firm grasp of environmental
issues, regional transport and a
variety of subjective elements (food culture,
housing design, retail mix and quality
of cocktails) all helped pull the city up
from second place last year to global
leader for 2008.
Copenhagen treats residents to a
lifestyle that’s hard to match:manageable
scale, a clean harbour for brisk dips and
abundant green space.The development
of the Metro system and a commitment
to cycling makes urban navigation swift
and seamless. Some recent residential
developments have created neighbourhoods
lacking the street life that makes
the rest of the city tick but it appears that
developers have learnt from these mistakes.
We’d happily move house if the
right offer came along.—
2. MUNICH, GERMANY -
Pipped to the post this year, 2007’s
champ still charms us every time
Ever since the BerlinWall fell, Munich
has been caught between the thriving
new capital, which is attracting a young
crowd, and Dresden, the capital of
German baroque in the east. Throw in
the fact that Siemens, one of the city’s
largest employers, is embroiled in scandal
and that for the first time since 1945
the dominance of Bavaria’s arch-conservative
Christian Socialist Union party
looks seriously threatened, and it’s easy
to understand why Munich has been
going through some soul-searching.
But through it all,Munich stands up
to the competition (although it’s a shame
they dropped the plan for theTransrapid
airport link). While the club scene is
making creative types think twice about
fleeing to Berlin,Munich’s pull is still its
unrivalled quality of life. It combines a
strong economy with rich cultural offerings.
The city’s workforce is highly qualified;
its universities world class. And if
the walls start closing in you’ve got the
3. TOKYO, JAPAN -
Behind the fast-fwd stereotype lies
a big city getting the basics right
Tokyo is a vast city, which means it can
be maddeningly difficult to know.Astonishingly,
a third ofTokyo’s buildings have
been erected since 1985, which means
the city is always brimming with new
ideas and architecture. It’s also a city of
unsurpassed service – stores and hotels
outdo each other to attractTokyo’s fickle,
demanding citizenry.Yet, despite lacking
an obvious centre, this is a city that gets
the basics right. Public transport runs
with digital precision, people are mindful
of others, and the crime rate is low.
Japan’s deep-seated conservatism is
slowly giving way to a new generation of
well-travelled, job-hopping twenty and
thirtysomethings who are changing
Tokyo, challenging stereotypes and creating
an even more dynamic city.—
Our continental European seat still
impresses but occasionally irritates
It’s not just liberal fiscal policies that have
enticed international corporations such
as hewlett Packard, GM, Google and
many others to set up in Zürich. The
city’s world-class education facilities and
cultural offerings, great local public
transport and well-connected airport
mean it can satisfy even the most demanding
employees.
All this may seem perfect, but the city
should not rest on its laurels. Its lack of
buzz and slightly unwelcoming atmosphere
have led us to shift it down a notch
this year. Zürich needs to be more flexible
– its old-fashioned regulations for
business and shopping hours should be
challenged and revised. It’s still up there
with the best. But it needs to relax if it
Six months of ice, snow and rain a year
haven’t stopped helsinki,which has gone
through a marked change over the past
10 years. new schemes are turning the
city’s harbours into urban spaces,making
better use of helsinki’s position on the
waterfront. Fresh names in fashion, such
as Jasmin Santanen and Paola Suhonen
give Finnishness a new meaning abroad,
while at home in music and cinema an
admiration for all things American has
given way to domestic talent. The city
could be more diverse ethnically – but
even there, the situation is improving.
If only the shops could keep their
doors open on Sundays even in the
winter – we all love a day of non-commercial
relaxation, but allowing some
shopping doesn’t take that away.
today’sVienna is looking forward
Don’t be deceived by Vienna’s apparent
bourgeois rectitude. The capital of
Austria has always been a frontier town,
where cultures meet, clash and spawn
new syntheses. The Viennese love to
party and not just because the city hosts
123,000 students. Proud of its intellectual
heritage,Vienna’s art scene thrives each
summer when it puts on a four-month
street party at the MuseumsQuartier.
The complex boasts more than 50 cultural
institutions including the worldrenowned
Museum of Modern Art.
Vienna’s local government is ecofriendly,
and public transport is cheap,
clean and reliable.The city has more than
1,000km of bicycle lanes. It’s also one of
Europe’s greenest cities, with around 90
parks and gardens.—
Stockholm has stopped resting on its
laurels and is booming once more
Stockholm, with its archipelago, pristine
parks and old architecture, is pretty as a
princess cake – the Swedes’ favourite
birthday treat. But it’s also a bit like a
powdered corpse, in the words of architect
Anders Wilhelmson.now a change is
taking place, as the city experiences its
biggest building boom since the 1970s.
The challenge is to keep the things all
Stockholmers cherish – the open spaces,
water views and small neighbourhoods –
while at the same time providing enough
housing for future generations. Almost
50,000 new flats are being built or
planned and 33 skyscrapers are in the
pipeline. Stockholm’s art scene is booming,
too. new galleries are opening up
and theModernaMuseet is having some
of the best years in its history.—
Culturally diverse Vancouver is
gearing up for a greener Games
By accepting increased building density
as official city policy,Vancouver believes
it is leading the continent in addressing
climate change. Last year, 7 per cent
fewer cars made the daily commute to
the city core.
host of the 2010Winter Olympics,
the city is ahead of schedule in construction
of infrastructure and preparation. A
specialised drug unit is aimed at the city’s
estimated 4,000 hydroponic marijuanagrowing
operations. Police are also
charged with reducing homelessness,
begging and the open drug market in
time for the opening ceremonies.
Vancouverians are ethnically diverse,
tolerant and slow to divulge that they
have access to the freshest and most
affordable sushi on the west coast.
Vibrant, art-loving Melbourne is
booming – and sprawling
Melbourne’s economy is humming, its
arts scene is thriving, and more than
1,000 new people a week are calling the
city home. however, this influx has
forced the state government to release
more housing land on Melbourne’s
fringe and the city’s 30-year development
plan is being largely ignored as urban
sprawl continues.
Public transport is already stretched,
with no major investments planned and
the city’s relaxed drinking laws are causing
a moral panic about alcohol-fuelled
violence.To top it all off, house prices are
starting to look positively Sydney-like
(they jumped 25 per cent last year).The
question for Melbourne is whether the
city can cope with the growing pains
brought on by its own success.
Paris has picked itself up, ready to
reclaim its place as a global city
The French capital has headed up our
chart this year in recognition that it is setting
benchmarks in urbanism that have
officials from around the world heading
to meet mayor Bertrand DelanoeÅN.
The city’s revitalised confidence
(bruised after it lost out to London in the
battle to host the 2012 Olympic Games
and was hit by race riots in 2005) has
prompted a shift in attitude: the city feels
less uptight. Seeing Parisians of all varieties
whizzing around on the city’s
20,000 VeÅLlib’ bikes (the world’s biggest
bike hire scheme), you sense a more
playful, inventive city in the making.Add
to that the celebrated cafeÅL culture, independent
retail and that classic architecture
and you have a ga^teau-sized slice of
quality of life.
It has its problems, but changes are
promised for the harbour city
What’s not to love about Sydney? Amazing
views, an outdoor lifestyle, beaches
on your doorstep and restaurants in
abundance. In short, life is good. Unless,
say many Sydneysiders, you happen to
live here. Residents suffer public transport
that barely works, clogged roads and
outrageous property prices.
But change is in sight. The council
(this is not a city usually associated with
dynamic leadership) has introduced the
first comprehensive review of Sydney’s
development in years.The state government
has chipped in with the promise of
a metro rail line to the city’s northwest
and the redevelopment of an old port
into housing, entertainment venues and
parks. Sydney seems to have realised that
state’s occasional problems
near-perfect weather and breathtaking
natural scenery keep this city in our rankings
in spite of overdevelopment and occasional
under-funding.
Ask a honolulu government employee
about affirmative action, and
you’ll get an immediate slap on the wrist:
“The minorities are a majority here, so
we are not aware of any such policies.”
Indeed, the city’s various ethnic skeins
are so interwoven it’s often impossible to
untangle them.Only the native hawaiian
heritage is prized above all others
with various incentives and programmes
geared toward preserving it.
Locals are passionate about sports –
particularly surfing. Teachers say that
they know when the waves are good, because
State regeneration on a huge scale is
making Madrid more appealing
having lost out to Barcelona in other
league tables in the past, Madrid set its
sights on international elevation with the
Madrid Global campaign.
Mayor Alberto Ruiz-GallardoÅLn is
also fulfilling his promise to Madrilenos
to change the face of their city. After
burying the unpopular M-30 ring-road
and promoting liberal thinking (he even
officiated the gay wedding of an employee),
Ruiz-GallardoÅLn has shifted his
focus to a huge regeneration scheme.
Dubbed Madrid RiÅLo, the 820-hectare
park will traverse six central districts and
reclaim theManzanares river banks,with
surrounding streets adapted as pedestrian
tributaries.All this regeneration is putting
pressure on coffers, but residents seem to
A thirst for radical ideas makes
Berlin our culture leader
To paraphrase the writer and Berlin lover
karl Scheffler, “Berlin is a city damned
to be forever changing, but never
become.”More than 80 years on the sentiment
still holds true – if maybe not for
much longer. Berlin’s centre has been
reinivigorated by ad agency executives,
gallerists and the diplomats and government
bureaucrats who moved here when
Berlin once again became the capital of
Germany in 1999. Until the financiers
come, Berlin remains a laboratory for
artists, a playground for international
nomads and an increasingly attractive
business location for Germany’s creative
and media classes. But who knows? In a
few years Berlin might be more than a
city that, in the words of its inimitable
mayor, is “poor, but sexy”.
Instead of pandering to tourists, the
city is putting residents first
Barcelona’s Ajuntament has reacted well
to claims that the city is losing its edge to
the capital. Little can be done to slough
the resentment felt by Catalans toward
the vast numbers of tourists, but the city
is shifting its focus away from tourism.
A new law to regulate the use of apartments
in the centre has seen almost 600
properties revert from short-term holiday
rentals to permanent apartamentos.
Transport and infrastructure is also receiving
more funding.Use of bicycles has
risen a staggering 81 per cent since last
year, thanks largely to the citywide rental
business, and an additional 28km of cycle
lanes are under construction. Jean
nouvel’s Parc Central in the developing
district of Poble nou is the latest in a
series of green space initiatives.
Canada’s French capital steals our
hearts, but leaves us less than green
Like MontreÅLal’s traditional greeting – a
two-cheek kiss – life in la belle ville retains
a Gallic flair. MontreÅLalers are famed for
their love of wine, cigarettes and poutine,
though they’ve begun to embrace healthier
living – two years ago, smoking was
banned in bars and resaurants.
As Canada’s cultural capital, fashion
designers, musicians and writers are a
major export. There are also booming
video game, special effects and aerospace
industries. The gap between rich and
poor, however, is growing – one-quarter
of families live on low incomes.MontreÅLal
lags behind when it comes to recycling,
but eco-consciousness is rising: the
Lachine Canal is being cleaned up for
boating and biking, while sustainable
housing is popping up.
Japan’s quality-of-life and shopping
capital lives up to its sizeable hype
Every so often the Japanese media hone
in on a city and proclaim it to be the new
place to live; and these days it’s all about
Fukuoka. Some 889 km from Tokyo,
Fukuoka sits on the northern tip of
kyushu, one of Japan’s further-flung
islands. It has all the advantages of a big
city – excellent shopping, outstanding
food, good transport links – with all the
cosiness of a smaller, provincial town.
Friendly, safe and clean, its proximity to
East Asia – Shanghai is closer thanTokyo
– means that Fukuoka is one of the most
cosmopolitan cities in Japan. Fukuoka
has good museums, a symphony hall and
a multi-storey 24-hour book shop. Best
of all, Fukuoka has a feeling of openness
in its sea air and green spaces – a rarity
in Japanese cities.
Tolerance and innovation are key to
the Dutch city’s appeal
Amsterdam’s combination of canals, bicycles,
green spaces and stunning old
and new architecture is hard to beat.
And, despite some locals’ concerns over
immigration, it remains a tolerant haven
amid Europe’s urban discontents.
Because of its dynamic, can-do atmosphere,
Amsterdam has successfully
transformed itself from a traditional
transport and trade hub into a centre for
science and technology.
With its cycling tradition – there’s
almost one bike per person – Amsterdam
had a head start in environmental terms.
It is one of the first cities in the world to
switch on to energy-saving street lighting.
The city will continue to be a magnet for
business and a good place to lead a relatively
stress-free life.
A rustbelt revival is attracting young
art, new money – and old problems
For the first time in a generation, population,
housing and jobs all climbed last
year. Corporate giants have bankrolled
multimillion-dollar redesigns of cultural
buildings and near-weekly festivals.The
Twin Cities’ culinary reputation is on the
rise, artists are staking out rehabbed
warehouses, and young professionals are
moving in, attracted by the low costof-
living-to-culture ratio.
Minneapolitans pride themselves on
their community ethos, with two-thirds
of neighbourhoods organising block
clubs to prevent crime and connect citizens.
Yet they’re often segregated by race
and class, especially in schools.There is
also an infrastructure problem. Public
transport is weak, and leaders spar over
who can do the most to remedy it.—
Green and arty Kyoto has been setting
the agenda for centuries
Despite its image abroad as a buttonedup
temple town, this city of almost 1.5
million is home to some of the world’s
most forward-thinking firms, including
nintendo, kyocera andWacoal, a thriving
art scene and bars and nightclubs
that stay open till sun-up and offer something
for everyone, from jazz to hip-hop.
As one would expect, the home of the
kyoto Protocol on climate change is
taking the lead on environmental issues
too. Since introducing buses to Japan
about 100 years ago, kyoto’s public
transport system has grown into one
of the best in the nation, with a reach
that sees every one of its 25,000 local
government workers use subway, trains,
buses and trams to travel to and
from work.
Germany’s liberal publishing hub
has to work harder to keep the talent
With its coalition of CDu and Greens,
hamburg is emblematic of Germany’s
new Bürgerlichkeit, or middle class. It
demonstrates a will to solve problems
rather than be bound by ideological rifts.
A seaport city with centuries-old
international links, hamburg’s openness
and liberal world view can be felt from
the gritty bars on the Reeperbahn to the
editorial offices of Germany’s leading
newspapers and magazines that have
their headquarters here. A number of
advertising companies, musicians and
artists have left for the capital, but the
hanseatic port is fighting back, reasserting
itself with aggressive urban renewal,
and a new research centre focusing on
High futurism is being met by more
civic freedom in Singapore – at last
Since gaining independence from Britain
in 1965, Singapore has leapfrogged to
FirstWorld status in barely two generations.
Today, it is shifting its social and
cultural mores at a rate that bewilders
even its citizens.There is a growing political
outspokenness that, 10 years ago,
would have been unthinkable under the
famously censorial government. But there
is still much more to be done here.
The careful stockpiling of reserves
and a prudent fiscal policy that has
shielded the economy from the worst of
the global financial crisis, and a canny
immigration policy have lured in many
bold-faced investments; among them an
F1 leg, the 2010Youth Olympics and two
massive casino resorts.—
Geneva is lovely but a little staid: the
canton could afford a few changes
While the likes of Procter & Gamble and
nissan enjoy the attractive incentives
offered by the canton, employees love the
quick journey-times to the slopes, the
lake and the generally high standards that
underline daily life.
Geneva didn’t do anything wrong
over the past year but it didn’t do much
that’s new either. In many ways this is the
city’s blessing – and curse. For a town as
affluent as Geneva, it could tear down its
airport and start again, it could loosen up
its retail hours and shake things up
architecturally. On a dazzling sunny day
it’s near unbeatable, but on a rainy
Sunday in July its lack of diversions can
be suffocating. All that said, it’s still a
Don’t tell themallrats, but Lisbon is
becoming an Iberian cultural hub
Despite the recent surge in supersize
retail, Lisbon has maintained its appeal.
The tessellated sidewalks remain, as does
the rich cafeÅL culture and the modest inhabitants.
Then there’s the exhilarating
approach over the old bridge and beige
apartment blocks. Most cite the climate
with cool breezes and lots of sun; the long
beaches and the vibrant nightlife where
Djs don’t get going until 03.00.
Today, the city famous as a port for
storied navigators is looking to its waterfront.
Officials plan to convert dock areas
into parks, the Santos area has become a
design hub and museums dedicated to
Asian art have opened. Problems: lacklustre
education and healthcare systems
and the limited metro system.
25. PORTLAND, USA -
Portland skis into our good books,
but needs better connections
It’s not just Oregon’s numerous Douglas
fir thatmake Portland a green city. It’s also
its 20-plus leeD-certified buildings, the
70kmof light rail, 37 farmersmarkets, and
its exemplary cycle culture. Situated on
the shores of two rivers, Portland sits
back-dropped by the fir-flecked West
hills, in the shadow of Mount hood, one
the highest peaks in the US.
Most of the year the trees and peaks
remain shrouded by grey but in summer
residents head 30 minutes east to windsurfer’s
haven, the Columbia RiverGorge,
or 90 minutes west to the Pacific’s swells
for surfing.Within Portland are 267 parks
and leisure facilities and 500km of biking
paths. Issues: dealing with the terrible traffic
Were does Seattle rank?
I'm thinking mid-30's if not 40's. Because....
*Light Rail? Only just getting it.
"Do you think they're going to build it?!?!"(blink blink)...BTW bitch, they built it.
*Elevated viaduct that cuts the waterfront from the city? Check.
*Antiquated above ground "Monorail"that breaks down. Check.
*Disgusting skyscrapers that looks like a carbon copy of those going up in China. YUP.
* Parks devoted to homeless people. Totally.
GOOD JOB SEATTLE!
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