BEST Designed Cities in the World Explained by Urban Planner

Which cities are actually the best designed in the world? In this urban planning tier list I rank New York City, Amsterdam, Dubai, Paris, Barcelona, Singapore, Tokyo and Los Angeles based on how well they work for everyday life. We look beyond famous skylines and impressive architecture to compare public transportation, walkability, cycling, housing, street design, car dependency, mixed-use neighborhoods and the urban systems that shape daily life. Some cities live up to their reputation while others fall much lower than you might expect. #urbanplanning #citydesign #citiesskylines Production Note: This video's research and script were personally prepared by me, a professional urban planner. The video editing was completed by a human editor I work with. Text-to-speech was used only for narration to provide a clearer, consistent voice and avoid recording issues. All third-party visual materials are used where applicable for educational, commentary, criticism, and transformative purposes, with appropriate attribution when required and in accordance with applicable fair use principles. SOURCES; [1] Britannica https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City [2] Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Empire_State_Building_from_Rockefeller_Center_New_York_City_dllu.jpg [3] Pexels [4] Pixabay https://pixabay.com/photos/city-canal-amsterdam-tourists-4388160/ [5] Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dubai,_United_Arab_Emirates_(Unsplash_suv4vuJsH6g).jpg [6] Pexels [7] Britannica https://www.britannica.com/place/Paris [8] Britanncia https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eiffel-Tower-Paris-France [9] Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulevard_Périphérique#/media/File:Périphérique,_path_to_Le_Millénaire_shopping_mall,_Paris_2017.jpg [10] Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_Barcelona,_Spain_%2851227309370%29_edited.jpg [11] Britannica https://www.britannica.com/place/Singapore-capital [12] Pixabay https://pixabay.com/photos/singapore-singapore-river-skyline-815721/ [13] Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Singapore,_Downtown_Core_(II).jpg [14] Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tokyo_from_the_top_of_the_SkyTree.JPG 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗞 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗢𝗣𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗢𝗦; How Cities, Streets & Transportation Actually Work ↪ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO5PaPVyUlAm3fivbm18stRE09lUVz1yJ First Cities on Earth Explained ↪ https://youtu.be/8z-FYywqwjA Weirdest Intersections Explained ↪ https://youtu.be/hxDyorbkAJE -TIMESTAMPS- 00:00 New York City 01:04 Amsterdam 02:05 Dubai 03:15 Paris 04:19 Barcelona 05:44 Singapore 06:42 Tokyo 07:48 Los Angeles 08:57 The End If you'd like to support this channel and its mission to make urban planning knowledge accessible for everyone, you can join our "Planning Office" via the 'Join' button! 🤝 You can also offer one-time support using the 'Super Thanks' feature below the video and be featured on the 'Thank You Board' at the end of the video, just like all our supporters. 🙏 📩 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 (𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀): [email protected] **** Welcome to Urban Planner Explained! I'm Umut, an urban planner currently pursuing my Master's degree. I'm passionate about decoding the complex world of cities, and I'm here to break down everything I've learned—from university lectures to my travels—into clear videos. My goal is to make the often technical subject of urban planning engaging and easy to understand for everyone. On this channel, we explain various topics like city models, principles of urbanism, some insanely-well designed cities, and American suburbs in a simple and clear way. Of course, topics like Megacity projects, future city models, street patterns, smart cities, walkability, urban design, zoning, public transportation and urban planners are also in our area of interest. If you want to better understand your environment, join a conscious conversation about cities, and explore these living organisms with me, you're in the right place. Subscribe to join the community and let's meet in the next video! © 2026 Urban Planner Explained