Culture
CityLab Daily: The Problem With ‘Most Livable’ Cities
Also: Don’t call it a YIMBY plan, and why Seattle is opening clean-air shelters.
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Crank ranking: People love to comparison shop. That simple fact explains the popularity of lists that rank cities by “livability,” feeding the notion that life will be better if you just pack your bags and move to another, more idyllic place. If you follow these annual lists, the winners won’t shock you: For the most part, prosperous and modestly scaled Northern European cities like Vienna, Copenhagen, and Helsinki dominate the finalists.