In this, our big summer issue, we refute the doomsayers edging us ever closer to some unspoken after-dark curfew and open up a conversation about the distinct benefits to be enjoyed by those neighbourhoods that aren’t afraid to stay up late.

Before you take a closer look at the make-up of our tenth annual Quality of Life Survey, examine the final rankings (and, of course, let us know if you dispute them).

In this year’s Quality of Life survey we’ve gone beyond the sun to assess cities not just by their daytime attributes but by their nightly traits too. Read on to get the measure of our nocturnal metrics and find out where your city ranks.

It’s all very well claiming to be a city that never sleeps but does that actually result in wide-awake venues and services that those burning the midnight oil can access? We visit London, Sydney and Buenos Aires to find out.

Monocle mascot Monochan is the ultimate night owl. Join him as he flies around the world to bring us wisdoms garnered from a life in the skies, from developing night-time infrastructure to tips on the best bars. It’ll be a hoot.

Whether hosting the Olympics or overhauling a public-transport system, running a city is a daunting task. So who would take it on? We meet seven mayors willing to bear the weight of a city upon their shoulders.

The German city that is a favourite among twilight types and how e-bikes will help to ease traffic in Belgium.

An entertaining neighbourhood in Alabama and transport news from Los Angeles.

Learn a few moves from China’s “dancing grannies” and find out how the volume is being turned down on Hong Kong’s tramcars.

Off-grid solar energy in Africa and new housing for low-income families in Saudi Arabia.

How the Gold Coast is preparing for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Plus: Tasmania’s tourism boom.

Volunteers can have an incredibly positive impact on their communities, as well as helping to keep their fellow citizens out of harm’s way. We meet the firefighters in Tokyo, coastguards in Stockholm and medical emergency workers in Jerusalem who provide their enthusiastic and expert services for the common good.

Our wise contributors unravel the riddles at the heart of our cities: what makes them tick, how they can work better and what nocturnal joys lie within.

Portugal’s capital is not known as a green city but a bold redevelopment is turning former wastelands into spectacular parks with cycle lanes. We speak to the city’s ambitious environment and energy councillor about his vision to link up Lisbon’s greenery.

We discover what goes down after sunset in Thessaloniki, Tokyo and Beirut.

Three busy cities that wouldn’t be the same without serene pockets of peace and quiet.

Entrepreneurial audacity has transformed a once desolate plot into a peerless late-night hive. Monocle meets Montréal’s marvels of change and other business night owls pitching up after dark.

The merging of retail and residential can have a tremendously positive effect on a community. We visit Denmark and Japan to marvel at the diversity of multitasking buildings that owe their success to their synergy.

Two men, disillusioned by the fashion industry’s perennial pursuit of cheap production, wanted to create a denim company with an emphasis on craftsmanship and community. Monocle visits the happy outcome: Blackhorse Lane Ateliers.

Montréal brings the buzz, Italy wants more writers and other business news.

Late-night revelry is a way of life for Madrileños and the good times have only improved with a city council committed to carousing. Monocle gets into the groove.

All cities love the artistic vibe but often destroy it with high rents, so the affordability of artists’ studios is a good judge of cultural quality of life – it’s even a new judging metric for this year’s survey. With that in mind, we visit three cities where vibrant life meet cheap space to forge creative success.

Thanks to its superlative journalism and resolute business model, city magazine ‘Falter’ has remained steadfast in an unsteady publishing landscape. We visit the offices of one of Vienna’s most trusted voices.

Few things are more tranquil than a long and languorous swim – and slip into the water come nightfall and it's more soothing still. We visit Iceland, Australia and France to take a few starlit dips in some of the world’s finest pools.

Japan’s long-distance trains are entering a new era of luxury and innovation. Monocle visits the industrial and interior designers who are redefining train travel.

Rome’s Olympic Village is now a modernist urban marvel – and a winning place to live.

Our favourite city design details, from hanging lamps in Copenhagen to neon signs in Warsaw.

The 1958-built Bretagne Building, once the tallest in São Paulo’s upmarket Higienópolis neighbourhood, has aged gracefully. It is loved for its design but, arguably, its biggest success is the sense of community enjoyed by residents.

Here comes the sun thanks to our choice selection of sunglasses, shirts and swimshorts.

As the sun begins to shine on the port city of Genoa its well-dressed guests come out in force. Grab a wide-brimmed hat and join the sun-kissed crew on the curving waterfront or head into town for a sundowner in a crisp white shirt.

A culinary tour of stalls, stop-ins and restaurants best enjoyed during the small hours.

Forget the modish, fly-by-night food truck business or setting up a drab diner: instead we’re taking a stand (literally). Here’s to our ideal – if for now imagined – take on a Viennese classic. Welcome to Monocle’s perfect late-night wiener stand.

Successful streets should have a balance of daytime bustle and night-time buzz. We line up the ones that we think work best – and sample their delights, of course.

Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson makes art for a more thoughtful world – and his in-studio kitchen feels much the same about food.

A recent visit to Vancouver got editor in chief Tyler Brûlé thinking all the more about quality of life. Read on for his thoughts on everything in the Canadian city, from urban design to public toilets – and a run-in with an inquisitive seal.