Lausanne in Switzerland has been ranked the best small city in the world.
It topped the chart in Monocle’s inaugural Small Cities Index, which ranked the best 25 small cities in the world with a population under 200,000.
The ranking was compiled by Monocle’s correspondents, editors and researchers who looked at factors such as the quality of public transport, rail and air connections, lively metabolism and progressive local government, among other things.
The Swiss city took the top spot for a host of reasons including its global outlook, diverse population, home to big business and natural setting, said Monocle.
The publisher added that Lausanne’s efficient public transport network as well as key employers in the city, including the International Olympic Committee, were key to its win.
1/25 Trieste, Italy
Trieste, Italy
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2/25 Lausanne, Switzerland
Lausanne, Switzerland
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3/25 Boulder, USA
Boulder, USA
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4/25 Bergen, Norway
Bergen, Norway
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5/25 Hobart, Australia
Hobart, Australia
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6/25 Chigasaki, Japan
Chigasaki, Japan
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7/25 Bolzano, Italy
Bolzano, Italy
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8/25 Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux, France
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9/25 Innsbruck, Austria
Innsbruck, Austria
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10/25 Porto, Portugal
Porto, Portugal
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11/25 Aachen, Germany
Aachen, Germany
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12/25 Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavik, Iceland
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13/25 Savannah, USA
Savannah, USA
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14/25 Postdam, Germany
Postdam, Germany
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15/25 Basel, Switzerland
Basel, Switzerland
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16/25 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand
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17/25 Victoria, Canada
Victoria, Canada
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18/25 San Sebastian, Spain
San Sebastian, Spain
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19/25 Eindhoven, Netherlands
Eindhoven, Netherlands
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20/25 Bath, UK
Bath, UK
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21/25 Aalborg, Denmark
Aalborg, Denmark
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22/25 Wiesbaden, Germany
Wiesbaden, Germany
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23/25 Haarlem, Netherlands
Haarlem, Netherlands
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24/25 Annapolis, USA
Annapolis, USA
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25/25 Salzburg, Austria
Salzburg, Austria
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1/25 Trieste, Italy
Trieste, Italy
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2/25 Lausanne, Switzerland
Lausanne, Switzerland
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3/25 Boulder, USA
Boulder, USA
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4/25 Bergen, Norway
Bergen, Norway
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5/25 Hobart, Australia
Hobart, Australia
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6/25 Chigasaki, Japan
Chigasaki, Japan
Wikimedia Commons/運転太郎
7/25 Bolzano, Italy
Bolzano, Italy
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8/25 Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux, France
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9/25 Innsbruck, Austria
Innsbruck, Austria
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10/25 Porto, Portugal
Porto, Portugal
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11/25 Aachen, Germany
Aachen, Germany
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12/25 Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavik, Iceland
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13/25 Savannah, USA
Savannah, USA
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14/25 Postdam, Germany
Postdam, Germany
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15/25 Basel, Switzerland
Basel, Switzerland
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16/25 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand
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17/25 Victoria, Canada
Victoria, Canada
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18/25 San Sebastian, Spain
San Sebastian, Spain
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19/25 Eindhoven, Netherlands
Eindhoven, Netherlands
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20/25 Bath, UK
Bath, UK
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21/25 Aalborg, Denmark
Aalborg, Denmark
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22/25 Wiesbaden, Germany
Wiesbaden, Germany
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23/25 Haarlem, Netherlands
Haarlem, Netherlands
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24/25 Annapolis, USA
Annapolis, USA
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25/25 Salzburg, Austria
Salzburg, Austria
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Rounding out the top five was Boulder, USA; Bergen, Norway; Hobart, Australia; and Chigasaki, Japan.
“We kept noticing that our readers were moving to the likes of Porto and Boulder and creating busy, better lives for themselves. This survey shows why people are voting with their feet and ambitions,” said Monocle editor, Andrew Tuck.
Monocle Editor-in-Chief, Tyler Brûlé added: “Having established a strong franchise with the annual Monocle quality-of-life ranking, we felt that it was time to measure liveability in smaller-scale cities that were hard to put in the same league as cities like Tokyo or Vancouver.”
The top 25 small cities in the world
1. Lausanne, Switzerland
2. Boulder, USA
3. Bergen, Norway
4. Hobart, Australia
5. Chigasaki, Japan
6. Bolzano, Italy
7. Bordeaux, France
8. Innsbruck, Austria
9. Porto, Portugal
10. Aachen, Germany
11. Reykjavik, Iceland
12. Savannah, USA
13. Potsdam, Germany
14. Basel, Switzerland
15. Chiang Mai, Thailand
16. Victoria, Canada
17. San Sebastián, Spain
18. Eindhoven, Netherlands
19. Bath, UK
20. Aalborg, Denmark
21. Wiesbaden, Germany
22. Trieste, Italy
23. Haarlem, Netherlands
24. Annapolis, USA
25. Salzburg, Austria