Contents 75
Quality streets
A few subtle changes to the metrics, a handful of grand projects coming to fruition and a sprinkling of ambitious City Halls – this year's Quality of Life Survey has seen some big changes. For the first time there are three Japanese cities in the top 10, with Tokyo – giddy at the prospect of the 2020 Olympics – rising to number two. Vancouver is our highest-ranked city in the Americas. Berlin is the highest riser, while Stockholm returns to the top five. Some big cities continue to miss the cut, for obvious reasons. Last year there were 414 murders in Chicago (for comparison, in Copenhagen there was one). London may have nightlife and culture but house prices are out of control and the police can't always be trusted. Düsseldorf, San Francisco and Honolulu miss out this year, though that has more to do with the improvements made by others. Oslo and Lisbon return to the top 25, while Brisbane appears for the first time. Some things don't change though and Copenhagen has won again. There's no better person to introduce it than the woman who, as head of drama at Danish public broadcaster DR, has given the world two iconic dramas based in Denmark's capital.
Although it was mayor Rob Ford's controversial tenure that brought spectators to Toronto City Hall, the beauty of the modernist building shouldn't be overlooked.
From the entrepreneurs revitalising derelict spaces with community, food and nightlife to the man who has dedicated his life to keeping cherry trees in the best of health, these are the people who are shaping the cityscapes with their imagination, skill and creativity.
This jip is up
Dancing can lead to prostitution, according to a 1948 Japanese law. Though the police largely ignored said law for years, they have recently started raiding nightclubs and prosecuting owners who don't have a licence, turning dance floors into dead zones.
Europe briefing
Leipzig's stocks rises to rival Berlin, Vienna gets into the (walking) zone and Moscow moves to tackle traffic.
Asia briefing
The transformation of Mandalay, how the Philippines plans to tackle deforestation and Hong Kong ponders its landfill problem.
Africa/Middle East briefing
The start-up possibilities of Amman and where South Africa's high-speed rail network extension could lead.
Oceania briefing
Taking stock of a rebuilt Christchurch after the 2011 earthquake — and Auckland acts on housing.
A plethora of new statues, museums and government buildings is appearing across the Republic of Macedonia's capital in a bid to imbue it with a sense of civic pride – but not everyone is persuaded by the less than subtle approach.
Fire, police and ambulance services are essential components of any well-run city. Monocle joins teams in Helsinki, Hong Kong and Ballarat in Australia to see how three of the best emergency services are keeping their cities safe.
Mall content
Bangkok has been rife with demonstrations and rebellion for months. But even after a coup the city's businesses push on. Monocle reports from the concourse of the region's most daring retail venture to date.
The upper trust
Founded on the ideas of people, planet and profit, Ecotrust has supported civic progress and regeneration in Portland and beyond for more than 20 years. Monocle meets the man behind the mission: Spencer Beebe.
Land lovers
Whether it's Michelin-starred vegetables from Japan or seaweed-based skincare in the UK, rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty opens up a world of business opportunities with which city life just can't compare.
The effects of globalisation continue to be felt – even in hidden gems such as Onomichi. But five local businessmen have joined forces to protect the city's future by reviving its industry and stimulating tourism.
Drilling down into miners' accommodation, the Band-Aid gets brought into the 21st century and clean air becomes big business in China.
Art smarts
Find some locals to design a modern art gallery, find lots more locals to frequent it and suddenly find yourself with an international success: welcome to Goma.
Times don't have to be tough for the print industry: these three local media outlets prove that success is attainable when you have a strong, high-quality brand.
There are cinemas that do something different; whether it's inventive programming, Q&As with directors or social spaces where people can share their passion, they offer an antidote to the mundane multiplex. Here are the best from around the world.
Super sheds
Creative enterprises and unique collaborations are flourishing in Auckland thanks to the dramatic renovation of a collection of 1960s city-council workshops.
Cities work when they let people meet, hang out and sit; they are less about the buildings than the bits in between. Monocle cracks open a chilled beer and embarks on a global tour to enjoy the best outdoor spaces for sunshine and salutations.
The clean, practical buildings left behind by the US military occupation of Okinawa in Japan are today influencing a new style of residence there: the Okinawa Standard.
It's often the little things that leave a lasting impression when visiting a new city. From flickering neon lights in Portugal to beautifully painted manholes in Japan, Monocle picks out 10 unique and memorable city details.
Final check out
News that Tokyo's iconic 1960s Hotel Okura is to be reconstructed has been met with outrage from admirers of its unique design. While Tokyo's changing skyline is what makes it special, demolitions like this threaten its architectural history.
Ricardo Bofill's utopian vision for social living found form in the cubist heights and halls of Walden 7. Monocle discovers a community-minded building that turned science fiction into harmonious fact.
Mercado do Bolhão, Porto's much-loved open-air food market, celebrates its centenary this year – a feat that is largely down to its charismatic stallholders.
Whether it's the wide, tree-lined streets of Songshan in Taipei, the quiet squares and bustling coffee shops of London's Bloomsbury or the sunny Latin American hot spot of Barrio Italia in Santiago, step back from the relentless roar of the city to enjoy a tour of three global neighbourhoods offering an excellent quality of life.
Editor in chief Tyler Brûlé isn't adverse to a spot of goat herding if he has a chilled glass of Forst beer to hand – and is delighted to introduce you to our South Tyrol-themed issue.
Expo 75: Cascais
Cascais, Hayama, Aegina, Sai Kung and Outer Sunset: five commuter towns with distinct personalities.
Expo 75: Hayama
Expo 75: Aegina
Expo 75: Sai Kung
Expo 75: Outer Sunset
Skopje 2014 / Skopje
Guy De Launey
Rama Knight
For a man who says his English is rusty, Miroslav Grcev has a well-oiled line in razor-sharp epithets. And when the architect, professor of urban design and originator of the current Macedonian flag gets going, woe betide the object of his ire.
"In architecture and urban design, this is crime against public space, culture, urbanism and art; against the city and the citizen," he says. The alleged crime in question is the project known as Skopje 2014: not so much a redesign of the city as an effort to recast Macedonia's capital as the cradle of civilisation.
The project, instigated by prime minister Nikola Gruevski, clicked into gear four years ago and has proceeded at breathtaking speed since then. The banks of the Vardar river, which runs through the city centre, now boast new museums, government buildings and a reconstructed national theatre. All of them have been built in a style its proponents label either neo-classical or baroque, in striking contrast to the modernist character of most of Skopje.
Then there are the statues. Countless dozens of bronze-cast figures have sprouted up seemingly everywhere. Just on the newly constructed Art bridge across the Vardar there are no fewer than 29 of them, representing significant Macedonian figures in music, literature and visual arts. Elsewhere in the city, everyone from Emperor Justinian to Mother Teresa has a monument by way of a reminder that this small country has produced great people.
Tange-era central post office complex
View from Stone bridge
The controversial warrior on a horse
New ship restaurant
But the piece de resistance is in Macedonia square. A gigantic representation of a warrior on a horse now dominates this previously empty plaza. The figure – which may or may not be Alexander the Great, depending on who you ask – perches on top of a thick column, surrounded by lions. Music, lights and dancing fountains provide the icing on the cake.
The transformation is certainly not to everyone's taste. "I stopped going to the centre of the city," says Grcev. "When I have to go past those monstrous, criminal colonnades and things which are not sculpture, I walk with my head down and my eyes to my shoes – the walk of a dead man."
The creator of the most contentious of the statues shrugs at the fuss her work has created. Business is brisk for sculptor Valentina Stefanovska at her workshop in a suburb of Skopje. Before she won the competition to construct the centrepiece of Skopje 2014 she had barely had a professional commission. Now she's made her mark on the city with the Arc de Triomphe-inspired Porta Macedonia that stands within sight of the aforementioned rampant warrior.
"The centre of the city was a little bit empty before," says Stefanovska. "There was too much space. People might have been against the statues but now they congratulate me."
Skopje is no stranger to radical change. In 1963, an earthquake flattened four-fifths of the city and forced a total rebuild, overseen by Kenzo Tange, the Japanese architect and urban planner who had performed a similar duty in post-war Hiroshima. Now some of the constructions from that era are suffering the ultimate architectural indignity: remodelling in the style of the Skopje 2014 project. Baroque frontages have already been added to the previously clean-cut lines of the commercial and residential buildings around Macedonia square.
The most dramatic makeover has still to be completed. Awnings draped over the glass and concrete cubes of government house depict its fate: neo-classical columns and curves.
These alterations have driven many Macedonian architects to distraction and other residents of Skopje have also voiced their objections – or, in the case of Ivana Dragsic, sung them. The radio presenter formed the Singing Skopjans as a way of protesting without running the risk of receiving a beating, as happened when demonstrators first criticised Skopje 2014. Now Dragsic and her colleagues make their points with flash-mob musical performances around the city, which they also film for distribution via social media.
Walking round the concrete lotus-flower of the central post office, Dragsic says the city is losing part of its character. "What excites me about these Tange-era buildings are the spaces they provide. All of the little corners and hallways have a role – they provide a lot of sociability, an opportunity to connect with yourself and with others."
But there are those who insist that Skopje 2014 is providing precisely the identity that was previously lacking. The current head of the foreign-affairs committee – and former foreign minister – Antonio Milososki points to the jump in tourist arrivals as proof of the project's success in raising the city's profile. And he says that, for once, the changes have been locally driven.
"In different periods of history our neighbours or empires decided on the structure, constitution and city architecture whether they were Ottomans, Serbs, Bulgarians or other bigger states," says Milososki. "Now, for the first time since independence, we have put our stamp on our capital city." At least that is one point that is beyond debate.