# Zurich did it again!



## earthJoker (Dec 15, 2004)

sydney_lad said:


> Which one is in power?


All of them,
SVP, FDP and SP have 2 Bundesräte (ministers) each, the CVP has one.

It kind of a big cualition, but as the swiss system is quite different to most others, this qualition is very loose.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Switzerland

To the topic:

It's great to see it top again, but there is still alot to do, we can do better.


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## shayan (Oct 9, 2005)

jeej amterdam


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

Tubeman said:


> It may top this list, but I know where I'd rather live...
> 
> Its always going to be small to medium sized cities that top these surveys; truly global cities (the places that people actually clamour to live in) have their drawbacks through their popularity (crime, pollution, congestion, etc) which mark them down.
> 
> You can't quantify dynamism or 'buzz'.


That's not necessarily true - if you look at the crime stats in lots of countries the highest crime spots are mostly medium sized cities and not the biggest, it's only because of the reputation these cities have been given in the media. Most Europeans still think that NYC is a very dangerous criminal city (even in travel guides) whilest in the reality it got MUCH better in the last 15 years and is far from being on top of the US list. 

Pollution: no - not at all: In Switzerland the most polluted area by far is Lugano-Bellinzona area, where 3 times less people live than in Zurich agglomeration. in Brazil it was (maybe still is although it got much better) Cubatao, a suburb or Santos. Industrial areas are much more dangerous to rivers, groundwater and air than a city full of people and cars (although I accuse cars normally ).

As defi said Zurich's construction boom is maybe not comparable to Dubai, Sao Paulo, Chinese or EE cities, but if you look at what has been going on since 5 years and compare it to the 20 years before or to other West European cities, it's amazing - I never thought in the 90s the city will EVER wake up again :lol:


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## LuckyLuke (Mar 29, 2005)

Well it's very unbelievable that a poor city like berlin offers a better quality of life than rich Hamburg. 

Düsseldorf gets better with every year... Watch out Zürich soon we will be No.1 :banana:


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

I thought your big competor and enemy is Köln?


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## Poly_Technique (Aug 22, 2005)




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## RafflesCity (Sep 11, 2002)

Singapore is best in Asia for quality of life: poll

*Zurich, Geneva still top Mercer survey, Tokyo slips while Hong Kong rises*

11 Apr 06

(SINGAPORE) Singapore has pipped Tokyo as the city with the highest quality of living in Asia, according to a survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting published yesterday. But cities in Canada, Europe and Australia still lead the world rankings.










The Worldwide Quality of Life survey is based on Mercer's evaluation of 39 key determinants of quality of living, including political stability and law enforcement, censorship and personal freedom, banking services, pollution, public services in health, education, utilities and transport, recreation, housing and others.

Cities are scored on a relative index of these factors and benchmarked against New York City, which has an index of 100.

Singapore ranked 34th in this year's survey, advancing one place from 35th last year, as its index score moved up to 102.5 from 102.0. Tokyo, previously Asia's highest ranked city, slipped one place from 34th last year to just below Singapore this year, as its score remained at 102.3.

Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's modern infrastructure, including its top-class airport, pushed it up to 68th place, with an index score of 95.4, the survey said. In mainland China, Shanghai is tops in 103rd place, with a score of 80.1.

'Beijing and Shanghai are on the rise and should experience rapid improvement in quality of living in the coming years. This is mainly due to greater international investment,' said Slagin Parakatil, a senior researcher at Mercer.

Cities in India tend to rank lower than their Chinese counterparts. But Indian ratings have improved, particularly in the case of New Delhi, 'due to improved political relations with the neighbouring country of Pakistan, plus significant government investments in infrastructure, including an underground metro in New Delhi. The real impact of these investments will be felt in the coming four to five years,' said Gangapriya Chakraverti, a business leader at Mercer India.

The Swiss cities of Zurich and Geneva retained their first and second rankings respectively, while Vancouver in Canada took third place. The world's financial centres, London and New York, were 39th and 46th respectively.

Overseas Singaporeans wishing to work closer to home may look to New Zealand or Australia - the Kiwi cities of Auckland and Wellington came in 5th and 12th respectively, while Australia's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, were placed joint 9th and 17th respectively.

Developed world cities tend to have stable rankings, and their scores fluctuate due to factors like pollution, crime and traffic congestion, Mr Parakatil said. And many Eastern Europen cities are improving, as the countries that most recently join the EU attract greater investment.

By MATTHEW PHAN


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## ♣628.finst (Jul 29, 2005)

Zurich in the 1st place??? I think it's based on general economic development rather than true living standard, maybe I am a little bit biased, but Zurich is only among one of the best, but not necessarily the best around the world.

Some ridiculous ranking:

3rd- Vancouver, as you know the most famous attraction of Vancouver is--- its natural settings! Please don't underestimate it and tourism prospered because of this reason. But the living quality there--- it's mediocre in Canada.

6th- Dusseldorf, I think that's a rust-belt city without much quality rather than pollution.

16th- Berlin, Berlin ranks 16th??? It's a totally wild idea.

23th- Nurnberg--- Nurnberg, however, should place in top 10 in my opinion.

27th- Honolulu--- The best tropical city around the world--- but certainly not competitive in top 50.

25th- Calgary--- Probably I'm biased, but it is one of my favourite large city.

29th- Adelaide--- Adelaide is not surprising now--- but as I remember Adelaide was once suffering from recession in late 1980s and it once looks as depressing as Fort Wayne, IN.


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## LuckyLuke (Mar 29, 2005)

Xäntårx said:


> 6th- Dusseldorf, I think that's a rust-belt city without much quality rather than pollution.


I guess you think about Duisburg because we don't have much Industry in Düsseldorf. We are not part of the Ruhrgebiet.


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## Insignia (Jan 10, 2006)

Oh that's great news. Were would Nottingham be?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Mercer’s study is based on detailed assessments and evaluations of 39 key quality of living determinants, grouped in the following categories: 

Political and social environment (political stability, crime, law enforcement, etc.) 
Economic environment (currency exchange regulations, banking services, etc.) 
Socio-cultural environment (censorship, limitations on personal freedom, etc.) 
Medical and health considerations (medical supplies and services, infectious diseases, sewage, waste disposal, air pollution, etc.) 
Schools and education (standard and availability of schools, etc.) 
Public services and transportation (electricity, water, public transport, traffic congestion, etc.) 
Recreation (restaurants, theatres, cinemas, sports and leisure, etc.) 
Consumer goods (availability of food/daily consumption items, cars, etc.) 
Housing (housing, household appliances, furniture, maintenance services, etc.) 
Natural environment (climate, record of natural disasters) 

So cities that excel in a few factors might still get a low ranking since the overall score is derived from a combination of the above factors. A lot of those factors are not economic-related.


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## HD (Sep 17, 2003)

Xäntårx said:


> Zurich in the 1st place??? I think it's based on general economic development rather than true living standard, maybe I am a little bit biased, but Zurich is only among one of the best, but not necessarily the best around the world.
> 
> Some ridiculous ranking:
> 
> ...



your statement just proves that you have no idea at all. the statement about düsseldorf is the most ridiculous. first of all there is no such thing as the rustbelt anymore. the dirty industry is gone for decades. second, düsseldorf isn't even in the ruhr-area. third, düsseldorf is one of the most expensive and fashionable cities in europe, with the biggest japanese community of europe witj lots of glitzy waterfront developments and one of the most famous luxury shopping avenues in the world (königsallee). düsseldorf is one of the most beautiful and richest communities of germany.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Vancouver 3rd best place to live in world: 
City places first in Canada in international survey *
Wency Leung 
Vancouver Sun
10 April 2006

Vancouver is the best city in Canada in which to live, and the third-best place in the world, according to an annual quality of life survey. 

Of 215 cities polled, Vancouver came behind only the Swiss cities of Zurich and Geneva, Mercer Human Resource Consulting said in its annual Worldwide Quality of Living Survey. 

Vancouver kept the same ranking as last year, while Toronto edged up one spot to 15th and Ottawa climbed three spots to 18th place. Montreal ranked 22nd and Calgary 25th. 

Mercer consultant Rebecca Powers said Vancouver topped the other Canadian cities due to its natural environment and recreational sites. 

"It's the relative nearness of the mountains, skiing, the ocean . . . as well as the moderate climate relative to the rest of the country," Powers said by telephone from San Francisco. 

But, she added: "The rest of Canada shouldn't feel that slighted [by Vancouver's high ranking]. The difference . . . in the scheme of things, isn't that large." 

The survey is tailored to help governments and multinational companies place employees on international assignments. 

It is based on 39 indicators, including political, social, economic factors, personal safety, and health, education, transportation and public services. It also examines environmental factors, such as climate and each city's record of natural disasters. 

While the survey did not directly factor in the cost of housing, it does consider the availability and quality of housing. 

Canadian cities scored higher than all U.S. cities included in the survey. 

New York City, which was used as a base against which all other cities were compared, rated 46th. 

Honolulu, the top city in the U.S., dropped two positions to 27th, while San Francisco remained at 28th. 

"Overall, U.S. cities continue to slip slightly or remain stable in the rankings, except Chicago, which has moved up 11 places due to decreased crime rates," Mercer stated in a report accompanying the survey results. 

It noted that declines south of the border have often been the result of increased air pollution, crime, natural disasters or terrorism. 

Canada's natural environment is seen as better than the U.S., while crime in the U.S. is generally considered a bigger issue, Powers said. 

Baghdad scored the worst place in the world for expatriates to live, unchanged from last year. Congo's capital of Brazzaville was the second-worst. 

Broadening instability in the Middle East also affected Cairo's rating, causing it to plummet nine places to 131st position. 

Rankings for most of Western Europe either improved or remained unchanged, but Dublin fell two places to 24th, mostly due to traffic congestion. 

The quality of living in Eastern European cities showed gradual improvement, as did scores for Asia-Pacific cities. 

Mercer anticipated Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai will see higher quality of living scores in the next few years due to increased foreign investment, while India would also benefit from improved political relations with other countries. 

Shanghai placed 103rd, the highest rank in China, and Mumbai ranked 150th.


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## Guest (Apr 12, 2006)

Well done Zurich .. you keep good company with Auckland in the top 5


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

I was discussing yesterday the topic at home as well - and somehow it is right, that there should be cathegories made for this ratings, because it's not quite fair to compare simply like that...

1 - The political (and economical) stability of the country per se is already important, no wonder that all Scandinavian, Swiss, German, Australian/NZ, Austrian or Canadian cities are top. There should be cathegories in terms of politics.

2 - What about clime and geological zones? To build infrastructures in natural hazard zones as earthquake, monsoon, permafrost or high humidity regions is a bit more difficult and expensive than in central or Southern Europe

3 - Population doesn't lead necessarily to more criminality and pollution, but the threat that it does is bigger and to keep up the city's political stability and infrastructure is much harder. 10mio+ cities (and count urban areas and not municipalities or metros!) as London, NY, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Seoul etc - 1-10mio cities as Berlin, Singapore, Zurich, Sydney or Vancouver - and <1mio cities as Bern, Wellington, Luxemburg, Oslo...

And why put Yokohama on the list if it's part of Tokyo's urban area?!


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## LuckyLuke (Mar 29, 2005)

Kuesel said:


> I thought your big competor and enemy is Köln?


Köln? What's that??? :dunno: 

:cheers:


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## ♣628.finst (Jul 29, 2005)

LuckyLuke said:


> Köln? What's that??? :dunno:


Duesseldorf? What's that? :dunno: 

Where's Minneapolis in that list?


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## Cancun (Mar 6, 2006)

This list is for when you are working in foreign nations. 
Dusseldorp is the best quality of living city in Germany? 
Its not for Germans ,they don't like cities like dusseldorp but yes for foreign expats it can be the best for living because it probably has the most number of infrastructures and system for them.


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## LuckyLuke (Mar 29, 2005)

Cancun said:


> This list is for when you are working in foreign nations.
> Dusseldorp is the best quality of living city in Germany?
> Its not for Germans ,they don't like cities like dusseldorp but yes for foreign expats it can be the best for living because it probably has the most number of infrastructures and system for them.


Germans don't like cities like Düsseldorf? :lol:
WTF... We really do have funny forumers here....

According to you what kind of cities do germans like then? Plattenbau cities?


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## Cancun (Mar 6, 2006)

The Germans in Cancun told so ,they always want to escape . 
They told Dusseldorf is UGLY.


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## JustHorace (Dec 17, 2005)

^^ Thanks. Geez, ahead of Mexico City then. Maybe now we can target, let's say, Bangkok?


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## coth (Oct 16, 2003)

Xäntårx said:


> No. Nairobi looks like some sort of poor Southeast Asian city, and Moscow is just a poor European city.
> 
> For sure Minneapolis, United States is one of the most downvalued city.


I would not call Moscow poor.


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## coth (Oct 16, 2003)

DonQui said:


> Coth continuing with his nationalistic banter.
> 
> :blahblah:
> 
> :no:


It will be nice to see what you say if Moscow had 100 points there and New York with 45...


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

coth said:


> It will be nice to see what you say if Moscow had 100 points there and New York with 45...


That would be impossible.



Would it possible for someone to like Moscow over NYC, of course, and fine by me. But, as a consensus, I think that most people would elect NYC.

For example, I don't know why you were so huffy and puffy about Moscow being ahead of Mexico City. Both countries are comparably wealthy (i.e., both developing countries with similar levels of human development, production, and income), and Mexico City is for better and worse a larger metropolitan area than Moscow. 

Plus, the weather is a whole lot better.


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## coth (Oct 16, 2003)

i'm really would not be so sure
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=318998
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=328534
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=103443
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=271971
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=334800
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=321823
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=302107
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=157546
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=266780
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=304192
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=158879
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=157860
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=269458
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=271177
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=158802
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=267221
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=265203
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=257071


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## ♣628.finst (Jul 29, 2005)

SE9 said:


> Manila's here.. ahead of MC:
> 
> 113 111 ASUNCION Paraguay 76.1 76.1
> 114 112 NASSAU Bahamas 75.9 75.9
> ...


Note that even Asuncion, Paraguay is above Manila and Mexico city--- Asuncion had gradually become industrialised.


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## ♣628.finst (Jul 29, 2005)

coth said:


> It will be nice to see what you say if Moscow had 100 points there and New York with 45...


It will be nice to see what you say if Minneapolis had 110 points and there New York with 45 and Moscow 50. (Boston had 100 points, as a standard)


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

coth said:


> i'm really would not be so sure
> http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=318998
> http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=328534
> http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=103443
> ...


Those threads don't really change anything, or alter the fact that Moscow is a large city in a developing country, just like most of those large cities in developing countries that you were so insulted to be ranked beneath.

:|


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## ♣628.finst (Jul 29, 2005)

DonQui said:


> Those threads don't really change anything, or alter the fact that Moscow is a large city in a developing country, just like most of those large cities in developing countries that you were so insulted to be ranked beneath.
> 
> :|


Nationalism affects everyone. I don't see NYC or Moscow are any sort of great city.

Here I think Chicago is the best around the World, second by Minneapolis, third by Calgary.


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

Xäntårx said:


> I don't see NYC or Moscow are any sort of great city.


Now that is just silly, on behalf of both Moscow and NYC. 

Especially if you rank Calgary that high. Perhaps the nationalistic one is you?


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## coth (Oct 16, 2003)

you right. nationalism is bad - your rating is very pro american...  i say cities like melbourne, perth, brisbane, many middle size japanese cities, middle size french, spanish cities etc are better than all those 3 cities you mentoined...


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## coth (Oct 16, 2003)

DonQui said:


> Those threads don't really change anything, or alter the fact that Moscow is a large city in a developing country, just like most of those large cities in developing countries that you were so insulted to be ranked beneath.
> 
> :|


well... i'm sorry for you... can't help you then...


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

coth said:


> you right. nationalism is bad - your rating is very pro american...  i say cities like melbourne, perth, brisbane, many middle size japanese cities, middle size french, spanish cities etc are better than all those 3 cities you mentoined...


Saskatoon is in CANADA.


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## coth (Oct 16, 2003)

he didn't mentoined it in his post, he said calgary


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

coth said:


> well... i'm sorry for you... can't help you then...


I think you are the one that needs to be helped.

Moscow is undoubtedly a fantastic city. But is a large city in a poor country. These are facts. And the poverty of Russia takes away from these rankings, and many of those cities that were ranked higher are wealthier and overall offer a better, more livable living arrangement than can be offered in Moscow.


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

coth said:


> he didn't mentoined it in his post, he said calgary


Calgary also is in Canada.


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## coth (Oct 16, 2003)

poor developing country? can i remind you Russia is a federation! with many independent economies and many subject where level of life is higher than in most of western europe, like northern ural, where average nominal salary is 5 times higher of cost of life and gdp ppp per capita in some cities passing $100000.


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## coth (Oct 16, 2003)

DonQui said:


> Calgary also is in Canada.


along with vancouver, toronto, montreal, edmonton, winnipeg etc etc etc


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

coth said:


> poor developing country? can i remind you Russia is a federation! with many independent economies and many subject where level of life is higher than in most of western europe, like northern ural, where average nominal salary is 5 times higher of cost of life and gdp ppp per capita in some cities passing $100000.


It is a developing country. Are or you going to compare Russia to Germany? :crazy:

Even Spain, from the more economically challenged South of Europe, has an economy (in nominal terms) larger than ALL of Russia. With only 45 million people! :crazy:

You seem to also be challenged on the concept of averages. Germany obviously due to its Soviet legacy has a poor Eastern part versus the Western-dominated West Germany which is extremely wealthy. AVERAGED out though, Germany is still a wealthy country. 

Russia has wealthy parts, but these are islands in a sea of poverty.

And forgive me, but your fact of some cities with percapita GDP of over $100.000 is :toilet:

Even London and New York City, the largest cities in the wealthiest countries in the world, are not that high. Even cities like Chicago where the cost of living is MUCH cheaper but salaries are still high it is not at that level. So unless Russia has a couple of Monaco's hidden that no one knows about, that is pure unadulterated BS.


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## ♣628.finst (Jul 29, 2005)

DonQui said:


> Saskatoon is in CANADA.


^^ Saskatoon is now my hometown (I lived in MANITOBA in most of my years)--- but it's a kind of small city that doesn't match those criteria.

Saskatoon is in SASKATCHEWAN--- In my opinion, Vancouver BC is the worst city in Canada--- notice those researchers are clearly distracted by the beautiful scenery around Vancouver BC, and also some southeast asian cities as well--- Moscow or Calgary are clearly disadvantaged in such survey.


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## coth (Oct 16, 2003)

if move warsaw up as well. but warsaw does not have huge proportion of millionaires.


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## coth (Oct 16, 2003)

no. not even closer to mexico city.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=318998
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=328534
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=103443
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=271971
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=334800
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=321823
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=302107
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=157546
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=266780
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=304192
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=158879
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=157860
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=269458
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=271177
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=158802
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=267221
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=265203
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=257071


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

coth said:


> no. not even closer to mexico city.
> http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=318998
> http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=328534
> http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=103443
> ...


Coth, you are really being unreasonable if you think it impossible to compare Mexico City with Moscow.


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

coth said:


> if move warsaw up as well. but warsaw does not have huge proportion of millionaires.


What is with your fascination with millionaires. I don't care if Moscow has 1.000 billionaires, if the other 12 million people live in complete shitholes, that makes Moscow a shitty place to live in.

For Christ's sake!

:crazy:


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## coth (Oct 16, 2003)

DonQui, as I said before almost all working people are middle and high class. and poor only pensioners, as everywhere.

requoting my post 3rd time.



coth said:


> russia has mobile penetration same as western european countries in 93% or 135mln of mobile subscribers as of march 2006. 17,5mln was in Moscow region in january 2005. and this figure keep growing for few percents every month. it is much more than poland. moscow had internet penetration in 53% in mid 05 comparing to 49% of czechia in end of 05. and most of users are on broadband connections. dialup is almost dead in moscow.
> 
> as for moscow. it is city with 120 thousand millionaires and at least 50 billionaires. i doubt london + new york has something same in sum. unemployment is 0,003% (just 33 thous of unemployed labour). moscow is mostly middle and high class people and people that living below poverty level are mostly pensioners and children, as everywhere. but poverty level is absolute fictive here, because counts from ratio of incomes to cost of live and does not count tones of social privileges and does not count how much spend you relatives on you.
> from $20bln budget moscow spend $6bln to social programs. i doubt new york and london, both, spend more. moscow pay them for everything - transport, health care, utilities, electricity, food (there are tones of shops that participating in this program. pensioners could buy food and goods with discount and city pay those shops that difference, what they lost). moscow also pay additional money to federal pension increasing it in times. there are also programs - free flats, free cars etc etc etc.
> ...


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

coth said:


> DonQui, as I said before almost all working people are middle and high class. and poor only pensioners, as everywhere.
> 
> requoting my post 3rd time.


I was saying as a hypothetical to prove why your constant harping regarding Moscow having many billionaires makes Moscow a better city is frankly inane and absurd.


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