# How would you rate the quality of life in your city?



## Nouvellecosse (Jun 4, 2005)

*Halifax, Nova Scotia* 6.5/10

*Pros:*
1. Attractive setting (ocean harbour, hills, forests, lakes, etc.)
2. Greenery, forests, parks and gardens
3. Colourful, diverse and historic architecture
4. Many universities and colleges, which fill the area with youthful vibrance
5. I personally find the climate quite a good compromise
6. The cost of living is reasonable
7. Plenty to see and do for a small place
8. Quite a few immigrants and racial diversity
9. Quite a few bikers
10. Short but attractive skyline

*Cons:*
1. Crime rate higher than Canadian average (we lead the national murder rate )
2. Low wages
3. Buildings and infrustructure could be better maintained
4. Too much precipitation (4th rainiest city in Can)
5. Needs more bicycle trails/lanes
6. Needs better library service
7. TOO SMALL


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## vtower (Jan 31, 2006)

Tokyo is 10/10.

It's almost perfect. It's too crammed up but it doesn't bother me. Tokyo has some of the best properties and shops in the world. It has the largest railway network. The nightlife is also fantastic, it's just the most modern and energetic city in the world. It's also some of the most multicultural cities in the world.


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

Magnum: I know it's a social problem, but accoring to Anthony Giddens' structuralism it's the world around us that has a majour influence on our actings - not a real behavourism, but structures are where we are kind of "imprisoned" in. Okay, I don't want to become to philosophical, just want to give an example:

In Zurich we have any kind of absolute perfect infrastructure, low pollution and crime problems and a stable economy and politics - the people don't have to be innovative, there is no big needs for real protests and fights and thus the population gets lazy, slows down, loses innovation and creativism and looks for any little thing they can complain about because it's not possible that everything works fine, is it? You should read the emails and letters Zurich people provide to be printed in newspapers... it's ridiculous and really FUNNY to read what they call "problems" :lol:

And then I was longer in Madagascar - people are starving after a locust plague or a draught, the environment is totally distroyed and the country one of the poorest in the world. Are the people commiting suicide there? Are they hiding back in their huts and weep over their misery? Are they stupid because they don't have a proper education? No, not at all! They are extremly skilled and innovative as well as trying to look really at the bright side of life. If a car breaks down, go to the next village and get some bycicle parts - and fix the car with them! On the other hand they know everything about ecology but starvation makes them forget sustainable development and protection of the nature. It's not their problem or because of their stupidity, it's because of the structural circumstances, of which we Europeans have to bear a big responsibility and blame


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## ♣628.finst (Jul 29, 2005)

Kuesel said:


> And then I was longer in Madagascar - people are starving after a locust plague or a draught, the environment is totally distroyed and the country one of the poorest in the world. Are the people commiting suicide there? Are they hiding back in their huts and weep over their misery? Are they stupid because they don't have a proper education? No, not at all! They are extremly skilled and innovative as well as trying to look really at the bright side of life. If a car breaks down, go to the next village and get some bycicle parts - and fix the car with them! On the other hand they know everything about ecology but starvation makes them forget sustainable development and protection of the nature. It's not their problem or because of their stupidity, it's because of the structural circumstances, of which we Europeans have to bear a big responsibility and blame


Absolutely! They are skilled physically rather than academically or professionally.


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## Accura4Matalan (Jan 7, 2004)

7/10. Most of Preston is really nice, but there are some areas which are pretty rough and the city centre lacks many services that should be there.


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## jlshyang (May 22, 2005)

Penang, Malaysia. (8/10)

Pros:
- per capita income above national average.
- second most developed city in Malaysia.
- racially diversed (Chinese,Malay,Indian,Punjabi,Eurasian, etc.) & multicultural
- Malaysia's northern hub.
- great infrastuctures (have own International Airport and a port)
- a modern university and other private colleges, 3 International schools
- Malaysia/Singapore's food haven
- boast the 7th longest bridge in the world (Penang bridge)
- home to multinational plants (Dell,Motorola,INTEL,Seagate,National Semiconductor,Bosch etc)
- most high rise after Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), home to many service apartments and high-end condominiums)
- Shopping: International labels (Eg:Versace,MNG,Roxy,Esprit,Zara & TGI Fridays opening soon),hypermarts: Tesco,Carrefour,Giant,Sunshine Hypermart,Makro)
- most expatriate after Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
- premier holiday destination (excellent resorts and hotel chains)
- great beaches, hills, parks and botanical garden
- largely urbanised but with lots of greenery and a more relaxed lifestyle
- awakening nightlife (clubs,cafes - Starbucks,Coffee Bean,Gloria Jean,Segafredo, etc.)
- well preserved historical herritage
- reasonable cost of living
- sports:home to world's greatest badminton players and world's women squash champion.
- relatively friendly and educated people

Cons:
- rising crime rate, social problems by illegal immigrants
- inefficient public transport - solution: Monorail approved
- illegal racings (bikes and cars),illegal parking attendants...
- poorly maintained budget hotels
- expensive to own a property (Scarce land)
- congestion in key areas
- way too many hypermarts per capita
- small city yet overpopulated


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## bay_area (Dec 31, 2002)

San Francisco Bay Area 6/10

Pros
1 Stunning Natural Beauty
2 Near Perfect Climate
3 Hyper Diverse racially and culturally
4 Highly educated and skilled workforce
5 Very High Incomes
6 World Class Shopping, Dining, Hotels, Entertainment, Sports, Recreation
7 Entreprenureal spirit & Global companies co-exist and flourish together
8 Vibrant and Bustling Downtown
9 Relatively good public transportation
10 Liberal politics & a population that embraces all newcomers
11 Greatly improved economy and good job growth(finally)
12 Excellent neighborhoods
13 vast array of great cities and towns to choose from

Cons
1 Most expensive average metro home price in all the americas($750,000 median home)
2 Horrendous traffic jams throughout the region
3 Shrinking middle class as thousands flee to Central Valley for cheaper houses leaving only rich and poor
4 the region is highly divided and it takes forever to get agreement on anything-if any agreement is reached at all.
5 Crime is not as low as it should be
6 There are too many homeless in San Francisco-its a shame for a rich city to have that problem


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## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

London's overall quality of life is superb in my opinion.

It's expensive, but it's such an amazing place to live that it's worth it.


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## HirakataShi (Feb 8, 2004)

*Osaka* 8.5/10

_Pros_
Very safe, crime rate far lower than in any Western city.
Excellent infrastructure.
Trains/Buses always on time.
Strong economy (things have really bounced back from the 90s slump)
Great nightlife/entertainment.
Best gay scene in Japan.
Friendly people.
Cheaper than Tokyo

_Cons_
Still expensive.
Worst humidity in Japan.
Worst homelessness problem in Japan.
Worst pollution problem in Japan.
Worst crime rate in Japan (but still low in comparison to other countries).


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## london-b (Jul 31, 2004)

I live in a village! I'd give it 9/10


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## Ashok (Jul 17, 2004)

Montreal = 10/10

Advantage:

The architecture, nightlife, transportation is top notch kay:,architecture in the metros, people are great, Mount Royal Park, multiculturalism, universities students, 

Disadvantage: The language issues, winter chills, no beaches, the bums


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## LordMandeep (Apr 10, 2006)

Brampton (suburb of Toronto) 435,000 people

8/10

Pros: nice place that is clean and quite and the school are good and the people are okay and there are so many different types of people

CONS: SUBURBAN TO THE MAX!!People are way to depedent on cars, and well you start missing some of the Urban life in Downtown Toronto.


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## brisavoine (Mar 19, 2006)

bay_area said:


> San Francisco Bay Area 6/10
> 
> Pros
> 1 Stunning Natural Beauty
> ...


I think you're a bit harsh on the Bay Area. I've lived in many large cities in the world, and I would give the Bay Area 9/10. It easily ranks above NYC, Paris, London, or LA.

Housing is expensive? Well, it's still quite reasonable compared to Paris or London. In my experience, renting an apartment is twice more expensive in Paris, and three times more expensive in London. Horrendous traffic jams? I guess it depends where you live. For sure, if you cross the Bay Bridge every day, I can understand your point of view, but living in the Silicone Valley as I did, traffic was really not that much of a problem. And driving on the 280 is simply the most heavenly experience on Earth! As for crime, I've always felt safer in the Bay than in LA or even Paris these days...

At the end of the day, it's the weather and the natural beauty that makes the Bay Area the unique and exceptional place it is. Where else in the world do you find a 6 million people metropolis where stunning wilderness is only a mere 20 minutes drive from the core of the metro area? To be sure, the Bay Area is for nature and outdoor lovers. Urbanites will be disappointed, they better go to NYC or Paris. People who don't like cars won't like the Bay Area either. But if you like cars and love outdoors, the Bay Area is simply the best place I know on this planet.

Take a walk on the wild side...


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

ChinaboyUSA said:


> '*The analysis is part of an annual World-wide Quality of Living Survey, covering more than 350 cities*, to help governments and multinational companies place employees on international assignments. Each city is based on an evaluation of 39 criteria, including political, social, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport, and other public services. Cities are ranked against New York as the base city, which has an index score of 100. '
> 
> citation:http://www.mercerhr.com/summary.jhtml?idContent=1173105
> 
> ...


I think this is a fair point.

Many Westerners would (I'm generalising here) prefer living in a lower density calmer suburban area, whereas the Asians like living on top on each other and give up convenience for privacy.


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## Magnum (May 3, 2006)

Yup,very important cultural differences (E.T.Hall), totally different way of viewing and feeling the space.
Funny to see how people love their place of living, giving it 10 points, yet listing some disadvantages of living there, hehe :weirdo:


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## niko.athens.greece (Apr 29, 2011)

VanSeaPor said:


> Vancouver-9.5/10
> 
> *Advantages:*
> -Beautiful setting and scenery
> ...


 *Unfortunately, it is true! Drug usage and Alcohol abuse is in the culture. Unfortunately once again, instead of improving, it is getting worse and worse! *

*As an ex-resident I have always been upset with the way things are done in Vancouver. Instead of everything focusing only on a small area, the area of the downtown peninsula, False Creek etc. Vancouver should start to think of itself as the HUB city of a metro area that is approaching two and half million inhabitants. Everything is Yaletown and West End and Downtown! Once you cross over the bridge past Broadway or passing Main on the east ... everything is different. Everything should be done in moderation! It is something that should be ingrained into the minds of the politicians there. Not everything has to be going up! Trust me in a few decades, Vancouverites will be wanting to sit out in their yards but there won't be any because everything is a condo. For those that do get out..they end up living tens of miles away, yet no proper roadways to take you home. If there was a little less focus on the city center and on the region as a whole, things would be so much better. Therefore, while I don't agree with your extremely high mark, I can say that a "very good" mark can be given to some of your points and once again, if you were to state that your mark is applied to this area. Remember, that becoming another Manhattan or Hong Kong is not progress. There are much more criteria that you and others should be taking into consideration in order to have a more honest and reliable outcome. *


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## jbkayaker12 (Nov 8, 2004)

VanSeaPor said:


> Vancouver-9.5/10
> 
> *Advantages:*
> -Beautiful setting and scenery
> ...


My friend and I just came back from Vancouver and as a visitor there are 3 things I like about Vancouver; the parks, the public art pieces and the public transportation.

Now the things I don't like in Vancouver; the food, the service, the beaches and the place could use a bit of sprucing up especially away from the financial/commercial areas. As far as nightlife, shopping, dining and entertainment, compared to Vegas it is nothing special.

One incident that made me not like Vancouver, my friend and I were walking along Howe to Dunsmuir around the area of the Four Seasons Hotel, a drunk guy started harrassing us and wanted a fight, of course we ignored him and continued walking. We kept on walking and at the same time looking back, he kept on harrassing other people and he eventually got what he wanted. By comparison, I have been going to the Strip in Vegas for almost 25 years and never had any incident like what happened in Vancouver, we were in Vancouver for only 6 days.

Overall, you can place Vancouver in California and it will be just another city in California. By the way, the beaches in California is better and that's not saying much!!!


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## snowland (Aug 20, 2011)

I think people live quite good here in Ushuaia. 8/10.


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## חבר1.0 (Jan 19, 2010)

*Tel Aviv- 10/10*

*Advtanges*
1) Great weather
2) Superb Urban Beaches
3) Nightlife/Parties---- one of the best cities in the world
4) Lots of Cultural Ammentities---- one of the world's leading philharmonic orchestras; lots of great theaters for plays, dance; lots of art galleries; world class street musicians)
5) Compact city.....you can walk from end-to-end in 30 minutes
6) Has the energy of a city 10x its size
7) Very relaxed, easy-going atmosphere
8) Extremely warm, friendly and outgoing people
9) Beautiful, intelligent and (generally) unpretentious women
10) One of the most thriving economies in the world---- one of the few Western cities that was largely untouched by the global recession
11) Diverse and interesting neighborhoods
12) Jaffa--- southern Tel Aviv---- the oldest port city in the world; beautiful place with galleries, antiques markets, cafes, etc
13) Truly a melting pot of Europe and the Middle East and Africa and America
14) Extremely safe----hardly any violent crime
15) Doesn't feel like a Middle Eastern city (in spite of comment #13).....it feels like an island of calm and tranquility in an otherwise fucked up region
16) Two of the world's top universities are located here
17) Lots of parks, green spaces
18) Extremely open-minded city---- pretty much anything and anyone is accepted here (and it isn't liberal in a superficial way like many other Western cities)
19) Lots of great street parties and parades
20) The city feels like a laid beach town, but also like a modern, comospolitan city; many parts of the city are so quiet (little noise from cars) that often the only thing you hear in Tel Aviv is the sound of birds, the sound of the waves, and people talking
21) Tel Aviv is a very social city---- people are always on the street talking to their friends and making new friends
22) Tel Avivis are super friendly; if you've left Tel Aviv without making an Israeli friend, then something is seriously wrong
23) Solid cafes and restaurants

*Disadvantages*
1) Extremely high cost of living
2) Even though Tel Aviv feels a world away from the rest of the Middle East, we still live in the world's biggest crappiest region


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## Berlin. (Oct 14, 2010)

*Berlin* 9.5/10

pro:
-public transport (you really need no car)
-one third are forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes
-therefore: fresh air
-beautiful old buildings
-some nice modern architecture
-nightlife
-low cost of living
-excellent shopping
-nice universities
-yes, there are beaches
-diverse people
-diverse districts
-pulsating
-tourist friendly
-a lot of events/fairs/concerts/sports events
cons:
-sometimes the weather
-bad economy


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