Global Culture » melbourne http://global-culture.org Sustainable, Memorable, Livable Mon, 03 Jan 2011 05:49:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 liveability rankings 2009 http://global-culture.org/liveability-rankings-2009/ http://global-culture.org/liveability-rankings-2009/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:37:34 +0000 juan http://global-culture.org/blog/?p=627 Not much has changed since the last time I reported on the Liveability report from The Economist Intelligence Unit in 2007. Vancouver is still the best place to live overall according to the 2009 ranking:

Vancouver, Canada Vienna, Austria Melbourne, Australia Toronto, Canada Perth, Australia Calgary, Canada Helsinki, Finland Geneva, Switzerland Sydney, Australia Zurich, Switzerland

I’m finding the Mercer’s 2009 Quality of Living survey much more useful as it provides a special ranking for hubs with the best infrastructure. Note that Mercer’ survey is meant to be used as a comparison tool to determine compensation packages for companies with personnel abroad. Yet, as usual, it is fun to make a list of the cities where you would want to live next, right?

Here are the Top 5 cities in each region, according to the Mercer survey:

Americas Asia Pacific Europe Middle East & Africa Vancouver Auckland Vienna Dubai Toronto Sydney Zurich Port Louis Ottawa Wellington Geneva Abu Dhabi Montreal Melbourne Dusseldorf Cape Town Calgary Perth Munich Port Elizabeth ]]> Not much has changed since the last time I reported on the Liveability report from The Economist Intelligence Unit in 2007. Vancouver is still the best place to live overall according to the 2009 ranking:

  1. Vancouver, Canada
  2. Vienna, Austria
  3. Melbourne, Australia
  4. Toronto, Canada
  5. Perth, Australia
  6. Calgary, Canada
  7. Helsinki, Finland
  8. Geneva, Switzerland
  9. Sydney, Australia
  10. Zurich, Switzerland

I’m finding the Mercer’s 2009 Quality of Living survey much more useful as it provides a special ranking for hubs with the best infrastructure. Note that Mercer’ survey is meant to be used as a comparison tool to determine compensation packages for companies with personnel abroad. Yet, as usual, it is fun to make a list of the cities where you would want to live next, right?

Here are the Top 5 cities in each region, according to the Mercer survey:

Americas Asia Pacific Europe Middle East & Africa
Vancouver Auckland Vienna Dubai
Toronto Sydney Zurich Port Louis
Ottawa Wellington Geneva Abu Dhabi
Montreal Melbourne Dusseldorf Cape Town
Calgary Perth Munich Port Elizabeth
]]> http://global-culture.org/liveability-rankings-2009/feed/ 3 best cities in 2020 http://global-culture.org/best-cities-in-2020/ http://global-culture.org/best-cities-in-2020/#comments Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:58:20 +0000 juan http://global-culture.org/blog/?p=433 In their article “The 20 cities of 2020” Stefan Linssen and Christopher Sindik present a method for evaluating the cities taking sustainability to the next level and creating specific plans that will have them improve their overall status as a Global Sustainability Center by the year 2020.

While the article mentions the variety of factors that were considered, it is not clear what the evaluation methodology or how the scores were assigned, but there are plenty of notes about the various initiatives underway to make these cities worthy of their inclusion in this ranking.

Here is the list of the top 10 as ranked by their average score in 2020.

London – 9.3 New York – 9.28 Singapore – 8.85 Toronto – 8.75 Melbourne – 8.51 Curitiba – 8.3 Abu Dhabi – 7.96 Frankfurt – 7.9 Hyderabad – 7.63 Cape Town – 7.2

With such favorable prospects on any one of these cities, it may be worth investing a little time scouting them to become more intimate with their rhythm of life.

]]> In their article “The 20 cities of 2020” Stefan Linssen and Christopher Sindik present a method for evaluating the cities taking sustainability to the next level and creating specific plans that will have them improve their overall status as a Global Sustainability Center by the year 2020.

While the article mentions the variety of factors that were considered, it is not clear what the evaluation methodology or how the scores were assigned, but there are plenty of notes about the various initiatives underway to make these cities worthy of their inclusion in this ranking.

Here is the list of the top 10 as ranked by their average score in 2020.

  • London – 9.3
  • New York – 9.28
  • Singapore – 8.85
  • Toronto – 8.75
  • Melbourne – 8.51
  • Curitiba – 8.3
  • Abu Dhabi – 7.96
  • Frankfurt – 7.9
  • Hyderabad – 7.63
  • Cape Town – 7.2

With such favorable prospects on any one of these cities, it may be worth investing a little time scouting them to become more intimate with their rhythm of life.

]]> http://global-culture.org/best-cities-in-2020/feed/ 0 cities with most twitter users http://global-culture.org/cities-with-most-twitter-users/ http://global-culture.org/cities-with-most-twitter-users/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:21:25 +0000 juan http://global-culture.org/blog/?p=372 Continuing with the exploration of cities with a population actively engaged in global communications, here is a snapshot of the top 30 cities with most tweets (twitter messages) as calculated by TwitterLocal. The link presents the top 30 in the last 24 hours, here is a snapshot at the time of publishing: 167830

Tokyo – 13.5% New York – 9.2% San Francisco – 6.1% Los Angeles – 5.9% London – 4.9% Washington – 4.1% Chicago – 3.9% Boston – 3.0% Seattle – 3.0% Sao Paulo – 2.7%

Other cities outside of North America included in the list: Osaka, Madrid, Sydney, Amsterdam, Paris, Melbourne, Berlin, Bangkok, Barcelona, Taipei, Santiago, Dublin and Caracas.

]]> Continuing with the exploration of cities with a population actively engaged in global communications, here is a snapshot of the top 30 cities with most tweets (twitter messages) as calculated by TwitterLocal. The link presents the top 30 in the last 24 hours, here is a snapshot at the time of publishing:
167830

  • Tokyo – 13.5%
  • New York – 9.2%
  • San Francisco – 6.1%
  • Los Angeles – 5.9%
  • London – 4.9%
  • Washington – 4.1%
  • Chicago – 3.9%
  • Boston – 3.0%
  • Seattle – 3.0%
  • Sao Paulo – 2.7%

Other cities outside of North America included in the list: Osaka, Madrid, Sydney, Amsterdam, Paris, Melbourne, Berlin, Bangkok, Barcelona, Taipei, Santiago, Dublin and Caracas.

]]> http://global-culture.org/cities-with-most-twitter-users/feed/ 0 2008 most liveable cities http://global-culture.org/2008-most-liveable-cities/ http://global-culture.org/2008-most-liveable-cities/#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:49:09 +0000 juan http://global-culture.org/blog/?p=242 I owe a big apology to all my loyal readers for keeping you in the dark over the last 3 months. Since my last post I travelled to Mexico twice, shared the stage in San Francisco with some of the authorities on the “geoweb”, travelled to Corsica, the French Riviera, Lake Como, St. Moritz; and managed to launch PlanetEye.com where I lead the Technology team. Intense to say the least. But the most recent issue of Monocle has me burning the proverbial midnight oil and finding energy to start posting regularly again. Thanks for your comments while I was away.

The Monocle Global Quality of Life Index may one day graduate to adopt a scientific methodology that considers a larger spectrum of cities around the world, but I’m happy to settle for their current coverage and play the my-city-is-better-than-yours game, using the tidbits of quick facts they’ve compiled. For those who don’t buy the magazine here are the top 10 cities:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Good looks, brains, perfect proportions, a sunny disposition and a sense of humour are always a winning combination…

Munich, Germany

It combines a strong economy with rich cultural offerings. The city’s workforce is highly [...]]]> I owe a big apology to all my loyal readers for keeping you in the dark over the last 3 months. Since my last post I travelled to Mexico twice, shared the stage in San Francisco with some of the authorities on the “geoweb”, travelled to Corsica, the French Riviera, Lake Como, St. Moritz; and managed to launch PlanetEye.com where I lead the Technology team. Intense to say the least. But the most recent issue of Monocle has me burning the proverbial midnight oil and finding energy to start posting regularly again. Thanks for your comments while I was away.

The Monocle Global Quality of Life Index may one day graduate to adopt a scientific methodology that considers a larger spectrum of cities around the world, but I’m happy to settle for their current coverage and play the my-city-is-better-than-yours game, using the tidbits of quick facts they’ve compiled. For those who don’t buy the magazine here are the top 10 cities:

  1. Copenhagen, Denmark

    2. Good looks, brains, perfect proportions, a sunny disposition and a sense of humour are always a winning combination…

  2. Munich, Germany

    3. It combines a strong economy with rich cultural offerings. The city’s workforce is highly qualified; its universities world class. And if the walls start closing in you’ve got the Alps on your doorstep.

  3. Tokyo, Japan

    4. … a new generation of well-travelled, job-hopping twenty and thirtysomethings who are changing Tokyo, challenging stereotypes…

  4. Zürich, Switzerland

    5. The city’s world-class education facilities and cultural offerings, great local public transport and well-connected airport mean it can satisfy even the most demanding employees.

  5. Helsinki, Finland

    6. Waterside revival, civic pride and a view to Asia bode well for the city…

  6. Vienna, Austria

    7. Don’t be deceived by Vienna’s apparent bourgeois rectitude…

  7. Stockholm, Sweden

    8. … with its archipelago, pristine parks and old architecture, is pretty as a princess cake – the Swedes’ favourite birthday treat.

  8. Vancouver, Canada

    9. By accepting increased building density as official city policy, Vancouver believes it is leading the continent in addressing climate change.

  9. Melbourne, Australia

    10. its economy is humming, its arts scene is thriving, and more than 1,000 new people a week are calling the city home.

  10. Paris, France

    11. …it is setting benchmarks in urbanism that have officials from around the world heading to meet mayor Bertrand Delanoë.

Sydney, Honolulu, Madrid, Berlin, Barcelona, Montréal, Fukuoka, Amsterdam, Minneapolis, Kyoto, Hamburg, Singapore, Geneva, Lisbon and Portland follow the leaders.

But the ranking is just a great marketing tool. Much more interesting and relevant to the readers of this blog are the articles “Thinking cities” which collects ideas from some of the best recognized urban thinkers; and “Perfect neighbourhood”, a redux of their ideal borough dream from last year. More on this in upcoming posts.

]]> http://global-culture.org/2008-most-liveable-cities/feed/ 3 the economist on liveability http://global-culture.org/the-economist-on-liveability/ http://global-culture.org/the-economist-on-liveability/#comments Thu, 23 Aug 2007 19:18:57 +0000 juan http://global-culture.org/blog/2007/08/23/the-economist-on-liveability/ I’m sure is not because Monocle released their most liveable cities report just a month ago, but now is The Economist releasing their Liveability rankings with the article Where the grass is greener. While Monocle’s report came in the form of a wonderful edition, perfectly written and documented, the Economist Intelligence Unit barely delivers a table with the rankings without much analysis behind. True, Monocle used criteria such “fair balance of sunny and warm days” and “availability of drinks after hours”, but the overall delivery convinced. According to The Economist The survey takes over 40 factors into consideration which are weighted across five different categories: Stability; Healthcare; Culture & Environment; Education; and Infrastructure. Across the survey a mixture of quantitative and qualitative data are used, which are combined to give an overall Quality of Life Index rating.

. However I wasn’t able to find such factors anywhere, not even after paying for the full report. Anyway, this are the top 10 according to them, nothing that we haven’t seen before:

Vancouver, Canada Melbourne, Australia Vienna, Austria Perth, Australia Toronto, Canada Adelaide, Australia Sydney, Australia Copenhagen, Denmark Geneva, Switzerland Zurich, Switzerland

Still, I never get tired of ranking cities and feeling a bit proud on behalf [...]]]> I’m sure is not because Monocle released their most liveable cities report just a month ago, but now is The Economist releasing their Liveability rankings with the article Where the grass is greener. While Monocle’s report came in the form of a wonderful edition, perfectly written and documented, the Economist Intelligence Unit barely delivers a table with the rankings without much analysis behind. True, Monocle used criteria such “fair balance of sunny and warm days” and “availability of drinks after hours”, but the overall delivery convinced. According to The Economist

The survey takes over 40 factors into consideration which are weighted across five different categories: Stability; Healthcare; Culture & Environment; Education; and Infrastructure. Across the survey a mixture of quantitative and qualitative data are used, which are combined to give an overall Quality of Life Index rating.

.
However I wasn’t able to find such factors anywhere, not even after paying for the full report. Anyway, this are the top 10 according to them, nothing that we haven’t seen before:

  1. Vancouver, Canada
  2. Melbourne, Australia
  3. Vienna, Austria
  4. Perth, Australia
  5. Toronto, Canada
  6. Adelaide, Australia
  7. Sydney, Australia
  8. Copenhagen, Denmark
  9. Geneva, Switzerland
  10. Zurich, Switzerland

Still, I never get tired of ranking cities and feeling a bit proud on behalf of those cities that I’ve come to know one way or another.

Update: after corresponding with the Editor of the report at the Economist Intelligence Unit I was given access to the full report which documents their methodology. The ranking is based on 5 categories:

  • Stability (25%): crime, conflict
  • Healthcare (20%): private & public healthcare
  • Culture & Environment (25%): weather, freedoms, culture, food, goods
  • Education (10%): private & public education
  • Infrastructure (20%): public transportation, international connections, housing, services, telecomminications

As suspected, their analysis is far more methodic but is intended to help companies planning to expand make decisions about how to compensate workers being transferred.

The survey was conducted in June 2007 so if you’re curious about the ranking of your city, send me a note and I’ll share the data.

]]> http://global-culture.org/the-economist-on-liveability/feed/ 14 most liveable cities http://global-culture.org/most-liveable-cities/ http://global-culture.org/most-liveable-cities/#comments Tue, 31 Jul 2007 02:47:55 +0000 juan http://global-culture.org/blog/2007/07/30/most-liveable-cities/ Hyper-connected to the rest of the world through an ample offering of long-haul flights, low crime rates, great education and health system, fair balance of sunny and warm days, plenty of ways to stay informed, availability of drinks after hours, good public transit, lots of green areas and a will to keep them green. This is the method behind the first Monocle Quality of Life Index. For international flight connections it would be Paris but for an airport it would have to be Munich. On crime it would be a Japanese city – either Tokyo or Kyoto would do. Zürich and Helsinki would be our key contributors for hospitals and schools while Sydney and Honolulu offer the best weather. [...] For a good night out we’d want to be resident in Madrid, Tokyo or Barcelona and for getting home we’d opt for Munich’s public transport and Copenhagen’s bike network if we were sober enough to pedal home ourselves.

With a well documented rating behind each one of the cities in the list, it is going to be hard to argue that they’ve done their homework, but it still feels very subjective. In any case, [...]]]> Hyper-connected to the rest of the world through an ample offering of long-haul flights, low crime rates, great education and health system, fair balance of sunny and warm days, plenty of ways to stay informed, availability of drinks after hours, good public transit, lots of green areas and a will to keep them green. This is the method behind the first Monocle Quality of Life Index.

For international flight connections it would be Paris but for an airport it would have to be Munich. On crime it would be a Japanese city – either Tokyo or Kyoto would do. Zürich and Helsinki would be our key contributors for hospitals and schools while Sydney and Honolulu offer the best weather. [...] For a good night out we’d want to be resident in Madrid, Tokyo or Barcelona and for getting home we’d opt for Munich’s public transport and Copenhagen’s bike network if we were sober enough to pedal home ourselves.

With a well documented rating behind each one of the cities in the list, it is going to be hard to argue that they’ve done their homework, but it still feels very subjective. In any case, kudos to the top 10 cities:

  1. Munich, Germany

    2. A winning combination of investment in infrastructure, high-quality housing, low crime, liberal politics, strong media and general feeling of Gemütlichkeit make it a city that should inspire others.

  2. Copenhagen, Denmark

    3. There’s no shame coming second, particularly when phase two of your new metro is about to go live, your airport is a joy, you can bike safely through the city and you have so many stunning residents.

  3. Zürich, Switzerland

    4. for being one of the best-connected, best endowed, safest and easiest to navigate cities in the world [...] run one of the most high-frequency public transports networks in the world and boast a bathing culture that sees the trimmest bodies at Bank Julius Bar strip off at lunch for a cooling plunge in tis mountain-water-fed lake.

  4. Tokyo, Japan

    5. Integrated transport, breathtaking technology, great service and the best bars make this our top big city.

  5. Vienna, Austria

    6. famous for its rich cultural heritage, also has a progressive eco-friendly municipal government.

  6. Helsinki, Finland

    7. What’s lost in the winter darkness is replaced by great cultural and sporting outlets, Stockmann’s bookstore and a good music scene.

  7. Sydney, Australia

    8. The city has some environmental issues and an antiquated trasnport system. But then there’s the beach…

  8. Stockholm, Sweden

    9. An eye for detail, good street style and strong public services make this a pleasant place to build a nest.

  9. Honolulu, United States

    10. Bridging the oceanic gap between California and Asia, Honolulu now fits the definition of a global city – a palm-fringed metropolis with a population as diverse as its flora.

  10. Madrid, Spain

    11. Red tape and poor infrastructure are counterbalanced by cultural vibrancy and a 24-hour lifestyle

Melbourne, Montreal, Barcelona, Kyoto, Vancouver, Auckland, Singapore, Hamburg, Paris & Geneva follow the leaders with their own advantages in this ranking, which along the rest of the magazine does a lot to uncover great urban experiences.

I’ve posted other rankings that measure cities against each other and Monocle’s approach is certainly interesting but with the growing global awareness many of the advantages that some of these cities hold will soon be replicated and enjoyed in tandem by citizens of most global cities. Perhaps it is the article Good Hood found in the pages that follow the ranking that offers a greater insight as to what makes a true liveable city: plenty of neighborhoods with the diversity and vibrancy to keep their inhabitants satisfied with a range of local world-class services. For all other goods of life you can always aspire to your next adventure abroad.

Thanks to Slava for recommending the magazine. It is a great discovery.

]]> http://global-culture.org/most-liveable-cities/feed/ 2 c40 climate summit http://global-culture.org/c40-climate-summit/ http://global-culture.org/c40-climate-summit/#comments Sun, 13 May 2007 19:02:54 +0000 juan http://global-culture.org/blog/2007/05/13/c40-climate-summit/ Next week the Mayors from 40 of the world’s largest cities will gather in New York to review progress, share best practices, identify collaboration opportunities and set action plans to fight climate change. The C40 Large Cities Climate Summit program will include topics such as Beating Congestion, Decentralized Energy, Efficient Water Supply, Climate Change in the context of Economic Development, Green Buildings, Waste Management & Low Carbon Economies.

In big city I had pointed out how the action of the largest cities is what really matters when dealing with global problems. 10% of the world’s population live in 100 of the largest cities alone. Through management of their infrastructure, landfills, treatment plans, legislation of local land use policies to drive development in the right direction, regulation of automobiles and their energy plants, the overall impact they can exercise is significant.

The delegates attending will represent (bold indicates among 10 largest cities in the world):

Melbourne, Sydney (Australia) Dhaka (Bangladesh) Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo (Brazil) Toronto (Canada) Beijing, Shanghai (China) Bogota (Colombia) Copenhagen (Denmark) Cairo (Egypt) Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Paris (France) Berlin (Germany) Delhi, Mumbai (India) Jakarta (Indonesia) Rome (Italy) Tokyo (Japan) Mexico City (Mexico) Rotterdam (Netherlands) Lagos (Nigeria) Karachi (Pakistan) Lima (Peru) Warsaw (Poland) Moscow (Russia) Johannesburg (South Africa) Seoul (South Korea) Barcelona, Madrid (Spain) Stockholm (Sweden) Bangkok (Thailand) Istanbul (Turkey) London (United [...]]]> Next week the Mayors from 40 of the world’s largest cities will gather in New York to review progress, share best practices, identify collaboration opportunities and set action plans to fight climate change. The C40 Large Cities Climate Summit program will include topics such as Beating Congestion, Decentralized Energy, Efficient Water Supply, Climate Change in the context of Economic Development, Green Buildings, Waste Management & Low Carbon Economies.

In big city I had pointed out how the action of the largest cities is what really matters when dealing with global problems. 10% of the world’s population live in 100 of the largest cities alone. Through management of their infrastructure, landfills, treatment plans, legislation of local land use policies to drive development in the right direction, regulation of automobiles and their energy plants, the overall impact they can exercise is significant.

The delegates attending will represent (bold indicates among 10 largest cities in the world):

Melbourne, Sydney (Australia)
Dhaka (Bangladesh)
Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Toronto (Canada)
Beijing, Shanghai (China)
Bogota (Colombia)
Copenhagen (Denmark)
Cairo (Egypt)
Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
Paris (France)
Berlin (Germany)
Delhi, Mumbai (India)
Jakarta (Indonesia)
Rome (Italy)
Tokyo (Japan)
Mexico City (Mexico)
Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Lagos (Nigeria)
Karachi (Pakistan)
Lima (Peru)
Warsaw (Poland)
Moscow (Russia)
Johannesburg (South Africa)
Seoul (South Korea)
Barcelona, Madrid (Spain)
Stockholm (Sweden)
Bangkok (Thailand)
Istanbul (Turkey)
London (United Kingdom)
Austin, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland (United States)

Update: Mayor David Miller of Toronto is now chair of the C40

]]> http://global-culture.org/c40-climate-summit/feed/ 3