After sharing with you The Economist's Top 10 Most Liveable Cities of 2014, we figured it would be a good idea to feature Monocle's annual Quality of Life Survey. The 2014 survey continues to use the same unique Quality of Life metrics for which it has become famous. These include crime, healthcare, state-funded education and business climate, combined with a unique Monocle “liveability assessment." This takes into account factors including the amount of green space, commitment to culture, hours of sunshine, electric car-charging points, the ease of starting a new business, and a high-street chain test that values the independents over the franchises. This year’s survey also added one new major metric “Libertarian paradise or stickler for rules?” with the aim of appreciating the intangibles that light up a community alongside the infrastructure that keeps it going.
For the second year in a row, Copenhagen has claimed the number one spot. This makes the Danish capital the first three-time winner of the report. Filling out the rest of the top three, Tokyo has risen to second place and Melbourne has slipped to third. Vancouver is the highest ranked city in the Americas at 15 and Berlin is the highest riser over all, moving six places to 14. You can check out the top 25 listed below or in the gallery above.
1. Copenhagen, Denmark 2. Tokyo, Japan 3. Melbourne, Australia 4. Stockholm, Sweden 5. Helsinki, Finland 6. Vienna, Austria 7. Zurich, Switzerland 8. Munich, Germany 9. Kyoto, Japan 10. Fukuoka, Japan 11. Sydney, Australia 12. Auckland, New Zealand 13. Hong Kong, China 14. Berlin, Germany 15. Vancouver, Canada 16. Singapore 17. Madrid, Spain 18. Paris, France 19. Amsterdam, Netherlands 20. Hamburg, Germany 21. Barcelona, Spain 22. Lisbon, Portugal 23. Portland, Oregon 24. Oslo, Norway 25. Brisbane, Australia