Small ports, larger maps
Harbour towns are finding fresh leverage in a busier regional economy.
Quality of life index / Page opener
The quiet power of quality
A compact field guide to better streets, sharper hospitality and the public details that make a city earn its reputation.
The best cities do not announce themselves. They reveal a good bench, a punctual tram, a hotel lobby with enough light to read by.
Our correspondents follow the small decisions that make civic life feel deliberate rather than merely efficient.
Briefing
The useful hotel room
Better lamps, heavier curtains and desks that welcome an actual notebook.
Shops with a point of view
Independents survive by editing harder, not by stocking more.
Radio after midnight
A quiet format returns for listeners who prefer a host to a feed.