Copenhagen Denmark, the world’s most liveable city of 2008 according to Monocle

London-based Monocle magazine, a project of Canadian-born style columnist and jet-setter Tyler Brûlé, published the list this month.

Monocle named Copenhagen the most livable city, on the strength of its green space and “sense of humour” as Mr. Brûlé wrote. Munich, Tokyo, Zurich and Helsinki rounded out the top five.

Only three U.S. cities (Honolulu, Minneapolis and Portland) made the list, which also included 14 from Europe, three from Japan, two from Australia, and one, Singapore, from Southeast Asia.

High-profile cities such as London, Rome and New York were not mentioned by the magazine, which looked at smaller, user-friendly cities with vibrant arts scenes, plenty of parks and a friendly face.

A similar livability study published by The Economist last summer awarded Vancouver first place, while Toronto – snubbed by Monocle – placed fifth out of 123 cities.

The following is an excerpt from the Monocle article. If anyone has it or a scan, pls let me know!

Months of good-natured, frequently late-night and occasionally
jetlagged debate have resulted in this: our definitive (and a little
subjective) guide to the world’s most liveable cities

01 Copenhagen
Copenhageners rejoice: your city (and its design) has our gold medal

02 Munich
Pipped to the post this year, 2007’s champ still charms us every time

03 Tokyo
Behind the fast-fwd stereotype lies a big city getting the basics right

04 Zurich
Our continental European seat still impresses but occasionally irritate

05 Helsinki
Waterside revival, civic pride and a view to Asia bode well for the city

06 Vienna
Rooted in a rich but dark history, today’s Vienna is looking forward

07 Stockholm
Stockholm has stopped resting on its laurels and is booming once more

08 Vancouver
Culturally diverse Vancouver is gearing up for a greener Games

09 Melbourne
Vibrant, art-loving Melbourne is booming – and sprawling

10 Paris
Paris has picked itself up, ready to reclaim its place as a global city

11 Sydney
It has its problems, but changes are promised for the harbour city

12 Honolulu
Sun and surf make up for the 50th state’s occasional problems

13 Madrid
State regeneration on a huge scale is making Madrid more appealing

14 Berlin
A thirst for radical ideas makes Berlin our culture leader

15 Barcelona
Instead of pandering to tourists, the city is putting residents first

16 Montreal
Canada’s French capital steals our hearts, but leaves us less than green

17 Fukuoka
Japan’s quality-of-life and shopping capital lives up to its sizeable hype

18 Amsterdam
Tolerance and innovation are key to the Dutch city’s appeal

19 Minneapolis
A rustbelt revival is attracting young art, new money – and old problems

20 Kyoto
Green and arty Kyoto has been setting the agenda for centuries

21 Hamburg
Germany’s liberal publishing hub has to work harder to keep the talent

22 Singapore
High futurism is being met by more civic freedom in Singapore – at last

23 Geneva
Geneva is lovely but a little staid: the canton could afford a few changes

24 Lisbon
Don’t tell the mallrats, but Lisbon is becoming an Iberian cultural hub

25 Portland
Portland skis into our good books, but needs better connections

What do you think of this list? Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?

Related Posts:

• February 28, 2010 — A EuroTrip to Remember: An idea for this summer
• February 17, 2009 — Make Your Normal Life a Vacation
• August 11, 2008 — Was Your Flight Cancelled or Delayed? How to Claim for Compensation

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