Where would you want to live?
Over the last day or so I’ve been reading the latest issue of Monocle magazine and I’m getting disheartened. The new Monocle Liveable Cities Index ranks the best cities in the world and despite its status as an economic and creative hub London still remains outside the top 25. The survey has been run annually since 2007 and London has never featured. True, there have been features of UK designers, retailers and artisans but that is as far as it gets. This (non-scientific) survey uses criteria like safety and crime, international connectivity, climate/sunshine, quality of architecture, public transportation, tolerance, environmental issues and access to nature, urban design, business conditions, pro active policy developments and medical care. London seems to be lacking on all counts compared to the rest of the world’s capital cities.
Monocle’s ranking of the top 10 (out of the 25) best cities to live:
1 Munich
2 Copenhagen
3 Zurich
4 Tokyo
5 Helsinki
6 Stockholm
7 Paris
8 Vienna
9 Melbourne
10 Madrid
Some quirky facts…
Paris has 376 cinema screens,
More than 60% of Stockholm’s electricity comes from renewable sources,
Copenhagen has 350km of bike paths and 55% of the inhabitants cycle to work,
Zurich has 4,278 benches in the city centre,
Biofuel buses in Barcelona are standard issue.
