tomsches 17,550 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/23/vienna-named-worlds-top-city-for-quality-of-life Vienna named world's top city for quality of life Study examining socioeconomic conditions places Austrian capital at apex of index while London, Paris and New York fail to make top 35 Vienna is the world’s best city to live in; Baghdad is the worst, and London, Paris and New York do not even make it into the top 35, according to international research into quality of life. Five things to do in Vienna, the world’s most liveable city German-speaking cities dominate the rankings in the 18th Mercer Quality of Lifestudy, with Vienna joined by Zurich, Munich, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt in the top seven. Paris has tumbled down the league, falling 10 places to 37th, just ahead of London at 39th, almost entirely because of the city’s vulnerability to terrorist attacks. The study examined social and economic conditions, health, education, housing and the environment, and is used by big companies to assess where they should locate and how much they should pay staff. Viennese-born Helena Hartlauer, 32, said she was not surprised at her city’s top position. The municipality’s social democratic government has a long tradition of investing in high-quality social housing, making Vienna almost uniquely affordable among major cities. “I live in a 100sq metre turn-of-the-century apartment in a good area about 20 minutes’ walk into the city centre. But my rent is just €800 (£625) a month.” An equivalent apartment in London would cost upwards of £2,000, and even more in New York, ranked 44th in the table. Vienna police fine man €70 for 'loud belch' US cities perform relatively poorly in the study, largely because of issues around personal safety and crime. The highest ranking city in the US is San Francisco, at 28th; Boston is 34th. Canadian cities, led by Vancouver, far outrank their US rivals in the table. “You don’t realise how safe Vienna is until you head abroad,” said Hartlauer. “We also have terrific public transport, with the underground working 24 hours at weekends, and it only costs €1 per trip [for those who buy a €365 annual card] .” Vienna benefited enormously from the fall of the Berlin Wall, becoming the gateway to eastern European countries that often have historic ties to the former Austro-Hungarian empire. “Our big USP is our geographic location,” said Martin Eichtinger, Austrian ambassdaor to London, who lived in Vienna for 20 years. “The fall of the Berlin Wall helped define Vienna as the hub for companies wanting to do business in central Europe.” According to the World Bank, Austria has one of the highest figures for GDP per head in the world, just behind the US and ahead of Germany and Britain, although quite some way below neighbouring Switzerland. Zurich in Switzerland is named by Mercer as having the world’s second highest quality of life, but the Viennese say their city is far more fun. “There are more students in Vienna than any other German-speaking city,” said Hartlauer. “It’s a very fast growing, young and lively city,” she added – though she conceded she works for the city’s tourist board. Vienna has long been overlooked by British weekend city break tourists, who instead flock to Barcelona or Berlin and tend to think of Austria as somewhere for skiing, lakes and mountains. But after an increase in budget flights from regional British cities such as Manchester and Edinburgh, Vienna is fast catching up as a popular destination. In 2015 there were 588,000 British visitors to Vienna, up 18% on the year before. The flow is both ways; Eichtinger said London has become the No 1 city destination for Austrian visitors. “Vienna has ranked top in the last seven published rankings,” said Mercer. “It scores highly in a number of categories; it provides a safe and stable environment to live in, a high level of public utilities and transport facilities, and good recreational facilities.” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsches 17,550 Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 proud of my home! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy McQueen 4,484 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 I intend to move and live there and study art at university (I'm from Graz, Stryria). Maybe I can afford it within next year ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwontell 7,312 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Congrats. It's one of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited. ATTENTION: (bad) jokes and sarcasm are still a thing, so don't take everything I say literally. Thank you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsches 17,550 Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 3 minutes ago, Andy McQueen said: I intend to move and live there and study art at university (I'm from Graz, Stryria). Maybe I can afford it within next year ... You should definitely try to do that. I've studied there for 5 years now and I really enjoy the city Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Love Vienna. Almost moved there a year ago and there are people who I really like, so it has a special place in my heart. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsygaga1 3,623 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Proud of my country Perfect Ilusion Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kvnrp 48,353 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Come through Frankfurt, being better than Berlin :legend: Congratz Vienna though, I wanna go travel there someday Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levine 23,958 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 German-speaking cities dominate Angela, HER POWER! I want to learn german Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallMe 577 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Slaaaaaaaaaaaaay switzerland, yaaaas (why is Basel not in front of Bern tho) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 5 minutes ago, kvnrp said: Come through Frankfurt, being better than Berlin :legend: Congratz Vienna though, I wanna go travel there someday Gotta love our skyline! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lego 44,165 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 I just read about guy burping in public in Vienna and cop gives him 70 euros fine. FreePalestine Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanSummer 1,215 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 39 minutes ago, tomsches said: proud of my home! I am living in Vienna - wanna meet for a coffee: i love to meet people with similar interests DS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoFameMonster 1,592 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 I wanna move there, at the very least visit. But I am scared!!! I don't speak German but i can try if you like Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamJ 8,008 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 doesn't Vienna flood though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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