It has centuries-old storybook streets and a buzzing student population (mostly from Aarhus University, the largest in Scandinavia and #34 in our University subcategory), but Aarhus hits different among second cities. Maybe it’s the afterglow of a blistering decade, its 2017 European Capital of Culture honours, and a commitment to considered urbanism already underway. Or perhaps it goes back further, to 1941, when Aarhus City Hall unveiled its iconic modernist clock tower as a beacon to democracy while under Nazi occupation. The 2004 expansion of the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, today one of the largest in northern Europe, was followed by similarly daring architecture in the city’s underused industrial Isbjerget quarter. A decade after its first residential project—modelled on a cluster of floating icebergs—caught the design world’s attention, it still draws design lovers. This year, you’ll see design-obsessed locals and visitors posting about the newly restored, 112-year-old Ole Rømer Observatory. Aarhus is also a walkable feast (especially in the old city), featuring four Michelin-starred restaurants that also boast the guide’s green stars for sustainability. (Try the local lobster at Substans.) Sated locals rank #35 for Labour Force Participation, buoyed by the #16-ranked healthcare system in Europe, along with its 17th-best air quality.