As the world changes, so do our top 25 cities. A tour of the globe’s urban hotspots and cultural corners helps fill in the picture.

Great cities adapt and change like their residents. The process of finding a favourite has been a global undertaking that confirmed and renewed our love of exciting urban centres. The following make up Monocle’s top 25.

The concierge is an institution worth investing in. They know what is going on in your neighbourhood, can prevent crime and stop you having to wait at home for deliveries. They are a city essential. Monocle meets three of the best.

Local governors often face different challenges to their national counterparts. Smaller budgets can mean fewer choices. But thinking differently can achieve big results, as our selection of inspiring local legislators proves.

The best streets evolve over time with an odd assortment of places and people. That’s why our perfect street contains a mixture of old and new from our favourite city haunts around the world.

The word “suburban” isn’t usually a compliment, but not all suburbs are created equal. Wannsee, at the edge of Berlin, enjoys high quality of life and surprising diversity, due to both idyllic geography and centuries of accidentally advantageous geopolitics.

Monocle offers you an insight into the most efficient and well turned-out logistics companies. If you’ve ever wondered how cash is transported to banks around South Africa or how delicate contemporary art is packed up in London, read on.

In a world of bland city centres, a shop full of interesting and unusual magazines and music that’s staffed by experts is a joyful discovery. And what’s more, they make your neighbourhood special.

No matter how much money and effort is put into marketing your city, if you want tourists to visit and everyone to know its name, nothing compares to having a popular TV series being filmed in your city. Monocle looks at television as a soft power tool.

Throughout the five boroughs of New York, space is at a premium. For the city’s planners, that means making intelligent use of existing waterfronts and parks to showcase that famous skyline from a fresh perspective.

The story of better urban living and sensible design unfolds in its details, from the colours and textures to the lampposts and logos. Monocle’s editors and correspondents pooled their photo libraries and bring you some of our favourite images of the cities we love.

An ode to those tucked-away streets of the world that seem to have their own poetry and swagger. Our design editor writes about the thoroughfares that have the capacity to touch the heart and soul.

Since the dawn of time man has used all sorts of objects and implements to make life easier. But it’s only recently that artisans have embellished these everyday utensils with a heavy dose of design without sacrificing performance. From hand-forged Dutch garden tools to Italian office supplies and Japanese candleholders here’s our selection of tools to perk up your quality of life.

Swimming on Bondi Beach, playing tennis in the jardins of Paris, running down the beach in Rio. Monocle picks five cities to call home if you want to stay healthy and trim.

High-speed rail lines are in the pipeline for both the UK and Turkey, while a breath of fresh air is promised in the planned landscaped gardens of the redeveloped Le Forum des Halles, Paris.

New York's first bicycle sharing scheme is set to launch into action, a new escalator is improving the lives of Medellin's, Colombia, residents, and Peru invests in its solar energy sector.

Work on a new motorway to drastically improve the Phillipines' infrastructure gets underway, tree planting takes off in China to combat desertification and Kabul to educate the population on conservation, while India's monorail enters a trial phase.

The Middle East's premium advertising rates targeting Ramadan fasters, the new Neighbourhoods market becoming the latest in Johannesburg's city centre gentrification, and Zimbabwe's management of their scrapping of their previous currency for US dollars.

The rebranding benefits of geographical name changes are weighed up in South Australia, plans to harvest storm water for consumption are questioned in the New South Wales city of Orange, and Tokelau announces plans to utilise a combination of solar and coconut oil energy for the island's electricity.

A new Saturday market of small-scale farmers in Puerto Rico adds to the country's organic agricultural movement, a new pie shop in Lisbon taps into the growing trend for inexpensive fare over a traditional sit-down affair, and Mexican architect-turned parfumeur Carlos Huber discusses the scent industry.

Anne Valerie Hash's feminine take on the classic suit, taking into account the experience she gained working at Chanel and Chloé previously, Central St Martins graduate J.JS Lee's boyish cuts, and summer in shoe in the form of Soludos' classic espardrilles.

Michael Bloomberg is currently serving his third term as mayor of New York. He’s not only admired by his constituents, he’s also famous the world over for the way he cleaned up the Big Apple. He tells Monocle how his ideas can work elsewhere.

He believes in playing classical music as a way to prevent road rage and he understands that better transport solutions mean a higher quality of life. Meet Peter Ramsauer, Germany’s minister of transportation, construction and urban development.

Cities evolve constantly, sometimes seemingly without anyone planning or guiding the process. But new ideas about how they work and can be improved abound, for those interested in taking them on.

Not everyone’s favourite place can be included in Monocle’s top 25 destinations. But we’ve made a little room for five cities close to our editors’ hearts. From tech hubs to design capitals, you’ll be hearing more from these very soon.

Vélo Québec is the guiding force behind Montréal’s much imitated bike culture, a model that is being exported around the world. The woman in the saddle explains how she forged a lean, green urban lifestyle.

Standing out against a backdrop of drab, square tower blocks on the north bank of the Chicago River, the white “corncobs” of Bertrand Goldberg’s distinctive Marina City buildings are still inspiring, both inside and out.

We take in some sunshine, swimming and laid-back living in the picture-perfect Swiss city of Lugano. We also keep our eyes out for a handsome villa in the hills.

We do a little late-night shopping in Tokyo, where no matter what the time is, there’s always somewhere for a quick, post-night-on-the-tiles pick-me-up.

Prepare for long hot days on the lounger with a good page turner and our selection of sunglasses and summerwear.

Liveable cities are those that know the value of a quality nightlife. And that does not mean something that closes at 23.00. We tracked down the most welcoming establishments for a good drink at 01.00 in the morning.

Japanese pop star Takeshi Kobayashi owns several restaurants in Tokyo and has his own farm, so the soba restaurant he chose for his ‘last meal’ was bound to be good.

Although no longer the industrial powerhouse it once was, Turin has developed into a significant social centre in the afterglow of the 2006 Winter Olympics, adding a discreet modern confidence to its momentous and varied history.

Chaotically beautiful, brimming with optimism and inhabited by friendly, fun-loving people, the capital of Georgia is a lesson in transformation.

Despite an unsettled history and political identity, due to its location at the point where Japan faces China under the watchful eyes of the US military, Naha seems healthy, happy and relaxed, and a long way from Japan’s manic big cities.

After spending the late 20th century becalmed in quiet isolation, Chile’s second city is opening up to the rest of the world. But will World Heritage status, tourism and redevelopment corrupt the port’s cheerful bohemian atmosphere?

The stern influence of the North Atlantic may make Maine’s largest settlement misty and cold for much of the year but that doesn’t prevent the warm, relaxed lifestyle of Portland’s inhabitants from being extremely infectious.

As the wall fills up with pages for the new issue and plans are made for the impending Country Fayre and the next Monocle Café, Midori House goes holiday happy at the approach of summer. Or it will if we can stop arguing about city rankings.