The British magazine Monocle has named Santander #2 in their Small Cities Index published annually as part of The Forecast 2024, a special edition of the magazine that focuses on trends in the upcoming year.
The Small Cities Index
In a recent episode of The Urbanist, Monocle’s podcast about the built environment, the editor of this year’s Small Cities Index, Nic Monisse, discussed the methodology and rankings for 2024.
The Index, now in its 5th year, focused on lifestyle as the guiding theme for this year’s list, and took into consideration factors beyond beauty, including whether local economies are friendly to business.
Monisse highlighted the appeal of small cities, saying “we’ve looked at places where you want to set up to nurture a particular skill set or way of life. I think this is what small cities have to offer, a sort of focus that in a big metropolis gets lost.”
Cities with fewer than 350,000 inhabitants around the world were considered for the index. Of those, Naha in Japan came in first place, followed by Santander in Spain.
The magazine highlights Santander’s tranquility, maritime and mountainous landscapes, and active cultural scene as reasons people love living in Santander.
Santander in 2nd place
In particular, Monisse champions Santander’s established architecture and design scene, citing existing works by architects Renzo Piano (like the iconic Centro Botín) and David Chipperfield across the city, as well as upcoming projects.
As a small coastal city of 175,000 inhabitants, Santander boasts of a low cost of living, with a thriving cultural scene for young professionals and a small but international airport. The overall quality of life in this relaxed city with a mild climate is undeniable.
Andrew Tuck, host of the Urbanist podcast, notes that the pictures of Santander included in the Index, taken by British photographer Ben Roberts, make the city look particularly appealing..
