Copenhangin’ onto second spot…

Five days ago Monocle announced their annual index of the world’s top 25 most liveable cities. As Tyler Brûlè reiterated in an interview on CNN International (which I watched properly once I woke up out of the hypnosis that the mesmerizing timbre in his voice had spun), it’s about liveability - not about being the most conducive to business, or having the best access to high culture, or creating the tallest skyscrapers. Some of what the index looked at, then, included ‘global connectivity’ (Tyler’s word of the week), safety, access to medical care, sunshine, tolerance levels, green space, architecture and the number of cinemas and public galleries. Catch Monocle’s rather boring account of the index here or do as I did and see Tyler at the top of his game on CNN below:

The success stories of 2009 were to be found in Berlin, a new face in top 10, and Auckland, which snuck its way back into the index, thanks to city-wide changes in preparation for the rugby World Cup, after having dropped out in 2008. On the flipside, the big sliders included Vancouver (which fell from 8th in 2008 to 14th in this year’s list) and Minneapolis (which, at number 19 last year, finds its way out of the top 25). Of interest, Honolulu comes in as the only American inclusion while the top 10 is comprised exclusively of European cities, save for Tokyo and Melbourne.

Who won the battle for top prize in 2009? Well, after years of playing bridesmaid to Munich and the Danish capital, Zürich noses its way into first on the back of investments in transport. Copenhagen, Tokyo, Munich and Helsinki round out the top 5. See the full list here thanks to PSFK.