Sophie Grove
Quality of Life Survey: Metropolis now
You want a city that’s well run, delivers on life’s essentials and is fun too? This is our ranking of the top 25 in the world.
Park life
City dwellers are turning to the pleasures of the natural world as an antidote to urban stress. We uncover the green shoots of renewal in Paris, Munich and Beirut.
Best in class: Marseille
For almost 200 YEARS, Maison Empereur has catered to its customers’ everyday needs by stocking an abundance of fine, French-produced, practical – and playful – goods.
Breaking new ground
From Europe to Asia and the US, large-scale urban-regeneration projects promise to transform entire city neighbourhoods. We plot the progress of five favourites.
Meet the neighbours
A sense of community is part of the business model for these urban real-estate developments.
Shop, read, listen
A French bag brand in Mexico City, a touch of Paris in Singapore, the smartest reads for your tote and charming accessories for the home.
Creature comforts
Fashion brands are taking ownership of their supply chains and keeping an eye on the animals that provide their materials. We meet the menagerie contributing to the world’s wardrobes.
City guide: Marseille
The gritty French port city combines tradition and modernism, making for a thrilling mediterranean mix of old and new.
Young and in luxe
Jacques Tati saw it coming. The closure of America's last selvedge denim mill signals the final unravelling of a fashion manufacturing legacy that once dressed the entire world.
Food & drink
Tasmania’s toothsome produce, Toronto’s new food hall and a recipe not to be missed.
