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Paradise cities - part 1

This year’s survey of the best places to enjoy all that life offers finds a world grappling with new urban challenges.
Paradise cities – part 2
District nursing

Chadchart Sittipunt, Bangkok’s visionary governor, is using his position to root out corruption and clean up the Thai capital.
Bright ideas, big cities

From rising rents to loneliness, five writers discuss Ed Stocker /the challenges facing modern urban areas – and explore the innovative solutions that are required.
Prime movers

The idea of changing a city for the better might be a daunting one but individuals with the requisite vision and initiative can make a meaningful difference. Here we celebrate six urbanists, activists, farmers and architects who are doing just that.
Living the dream

When it comes to improving urban life, a little imagination goes a long way. And there’s plenty of it in Monocle’s fantasy city.
Local heroes

In cities across the world, certain shops, restaurants, bars, hotels and other fixtures of city life are more than just commercial enterprises; they are integral to the dynamic of their neighbourhoods, adding cohesion, quality and vibrancy to their communities. Here are 15 such establishments that take pride in the places they are based and have become an asset to the area.
For the record

With Paris enjoying a musical renaissance, we meet the key players making themselves heard in an industry with a global reputation for catchy, sun-kissed pop.
Let's dance

We pick out 60 of our favourite summer tracks, from the most exciting French pop to songs that will keep you shimmying on the dance floor until the autumn.
Movin' on up

The Mexican capital’s irrepressible dance scene is being further fired by a new wave of diverse openings.
Standing tall

The Spanish city’s first residential high-rise signalled that Valencia was on the up. Six decades later, it remains a status symbol.
Going up the country

In rural Alabama, a university architecture programme is rebuilding the civic infrastructure of long-neglected towns, one project at a time.
Roll with it

Jirawat Benchakarn’s JBB has built a loyal following by adapting elegant clothes for Thailand’s balmy climate.
Slow burners

From traditional wicker baskets and classic leather sandals to woven artworks gracing Chinese hotels, the artisans of the Mediterreanean are full of talent – and surprises.
Mellow Yellow

Stay cool with our summer menswear edit – ice cream optional but recommended.
On the up

From a forward-looking emirate to coastal enclaves in Mexico and Morocco, these cities are emerging from the pandemic having made bold improvements and attracted new residents.

Affairs: Quality of Life Survey / Global

Paradise cities - part 1

This year’s survey of the best places to enjoy all that life offers finds a world grappling with new urban challenges.

Edited by: Alexis Self

When Monocle’s Quality of Life survey was first published – in 2007, the year of the magazine’s foundation – the rise of a particular type of city seemed inexorable: large, highly diverse places, open to talent and views from around the world, and tethered to the global financial markets. Those criteria were made manifest most successfully, or so it appeared, by three cities: New York, London and Hong Kong. Much has changed since then. Today these three places are suffering from social, economic and political turmoil, much of it self-inflicted.…

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Paradise cities - part 1

Paradise cities – part 2

District nursing

Bright ideas, big cities

Prime movers

Living the dream

Local heroes

For the record

Let's dance

Movin' on up

Standing tall

Going up the country

Roll with it

Slow burners

Mellow Yellow

On the up

Biting back

Growing strong

Sunrise coast

Switched on

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