[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Seoul ranked 11th in the '2021 Most Livable Cities' selected by the British monthly magazine Monocle.
Since 2009, Monocle has published a special issue on 'Quality of Life' every July and August, announcing rankings of cities worldwide. This year, Seoul entered the rankings for the first time.
Monocle explained that they excluded evaluation criteria unsuitable for the COVID-19 situation from the existing assessment items and selected cities that have preserved quality of life and are prepared to recover amid the pandemic.
Seoul was evaluated as a city with good accessibility and various pleasures despite its large size. Its affordable and user-friendly public transportation, as well as diverse places to enjoy everyday life such as Hongdae, Hyehwa, and Itaewon, were cited as strengths. Seoul also received positive evaluations for its COVID-19 response, including quarantine measures, movement tracking, and active citizen participation.
The most livable city in the world was Copenhagen, Denmark, followed by Zurich, Helsinki, Stockholm, Tokyo, Vienna, Lisbon, Auckland, Taipei, and Sydney within the top 10.
Among metropolitan cities with populations of around 10 million, only Seoul, Tokyo, and Los Angeles (20th) ranked within the top 20.
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