Beyond the Top 10 List: What Actually Makes a City Livable
Glossy Top 10 Lists Always Make Every City Exciting, But the Quirks Make Places Unique
It is summer, so time for longer, more adventurous holidays. For those who have not yet been or are already thinking about their next holiday, the magazines are releasing the top 10 city lists — most livable, best to visit, and friendliest. I enjoy seeing what comes up and what new places I might discover. I especially like to save restaurant recommendations so that I too can “live like a local” and be in the know when traveling. Sometimes, when I really like the vibe of a city, I like to peek into the windows of homes as I walk by to imagine what it might be like to live there. Alas, what often makes a city an exciting destination is not necessarily what makes a city a great place to call home.
The “Tourist vs. Local” Paradox: Real Life Is Just Not that Glamorous
Typically, as a tourist, one prioritizes sight-seeing, cultural or sporting activities, and the food and entertainment scene. Therefore, big cities tend to dominate as top destinations — London, Cape Town, New York, Singapore, and Seoul. For livability though, a city with more stable macro-level factors like political stability, societal security, and infrastructure are more highly weighted. All the reports indicate that this year especially, political instability has played a far greater role in shifting both the top tourist destinations as well as the livability index.
Interestingly, the top two most livable cities in this year’s EIU Global Livability Index — Copenhagen and Vienna — operate on a scale that allows for easier management of public resources and environmental health. Tokyo is the exception, the only city to rank in the top 10 for both livability and global tourist appeal. Somehow the megacity manages to be a perpetual pop-culture craze generator, to contain a patchwork of many subcultures, and to still be one of the safest and most walkable places.
Image from https://ouchikustudio.com/products/tokyo-japan-retro-skyline
Is Livability in the Eye of the Beholder?
Vancouver, Canada, is the only North American city represented. Interestingly, no U.S. cities made the top ten of the EIU report at all, which sent me looking at another ranking, this time of U.S. cities by U.S. News & World Report. What the indices share in common is a baseline of livability built on education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Where the U.S. ranking diverges is its heavier emphasis on personal economics, like job market strength and cost of living, as the definition of “good value.” This also led to a higher ranking of cities with populations in the 100-200,000 range.
In my own experience, that is certainly true. Growing up in a small town, my brother and I always knew that we would move and live away from where we grew up. Many of our friends were the same. We both studied and worked in several different cities before having children. In general, changing jobs and moving towns is more common in the U.S than in Europe. Perhaps the difference in perspective comes from being a large, fairly homogenous country.
Historical Roots Should Not Stunt Modern Growth
Copenhagen and Vienna are also cities with deep historical roots that massively boost their scores in culture and environment. However, their ancient city layouts often make retrofitting for 21st-century environmental standards a complex engineering challenge. What is incredible, nonetheless, is that across 862 European cities surveyed by Bertasello et al, nearly 90% of the population resides within 1 km of a park (and park benches!). Their planning guideline, known as the 3-30-300 rule, advocates for three trees visible from every home, 30% neighborhood canopy cover, and a park within 300 meters. To achieve this, we see cities are getting creative. One popular measure in London, Hamburg, Paris is converting areas in car-free zones and converting paved areas back to green space.
Intentionally and strategically integrating green spaces and parks within city planning continues to make cities livable overall. I was pleased to see that several Asian cities now rank in the global top 20. It clearly shows that significant public investment and focus on improving infrastructure and healthcare are paying off. In Singapore, for example, developers are mandated to replace greenery lost to construction by building vertical sky gardens and rooftop forests. In cities like Seoul and Penang, public parks are increasingly designed to double as flood and stormwater management, capturing excess rain intentionally.
For Those With Wanderlust and Fernweh
Livability does not come down to a single number but a balance of stability, modernization, historical charm, and nature. Ultimately, it is a community that successfully prioritizes wellbeing, greenery, and social connection. In a world of volatility, the most valuable urban asset is a city that feels like home.