A global ranking crowning Melbourne as the world’s most pleasant city says as much about those who judge the cities as the cities themselves. In an article dedicated to this ranking, the British newspaper The Guardian questions the real significance of the ranking published by the magazine Time Out, largely based on the perceptions of an international audience.
To establish its list of the “50 best cities of 2026,” Time Out surveyed approximately 24,000 people about their city of residence (along with a panel of experts), based on 44 criteria ranging from gastronomy to nightlife, culture, cost of living, and well-being, as the article points out.
Melbourne tops the list for the first time in the ranking’s ten-year history. The Australian metropolis of 5.5 million inhabitants surpasses Shanghai, Edinburgh, London, and New York. For a relatively modest city on a global scale, the victory may seem spectacular.
The top 5
- Melbourne
- Shanghai
- Edinburgh
- London
- New York
But behind the enthusiasm, the methodology raises questions. Participants were recruited among internet users ready to answer the questionnaire on the Time Out website, which means they likely belong to an audience familiar with the magazine: urban travelers, regular tourists, or expatriates. In other words, a population particularly sensitive to cultural ambiance and urban experiences.
Furthermore, the actual sample size per city remains unclear. As the newspaper points out, “if the participants were evenly distributed among the 50 cities in the ranking, the sample for each city would be 480 people.” This would represent a minimal share of the residents – about 0.008% of Melbourne’s population.
This ranking, largely based on impressions, nonetheless confirms one thing: the international image of a city is also shaped through the eyes of those who pass through it, work there temporarily, or live far from their home country. Melbourne appears as a cultural capital where, according to the interviewed residents, daily life remains a source of pleasure. A flattering verdict, but one that may say more about the urban experience of travelers from around the world than about an objective hierarchy of the world’s cities.
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