Celebs rank top cities
2010-05-29 13:00
Cape Town was ranked 86th in a global survey of living conditions in 420 cities.
Local celebs tell us about the cities on top of their lists.
Vienna has the world’s best quality of life and Baghdad the worst,
with wildly popular but less organised cities like New York and London falling
in between, according to a survey released this week.
Mercer Consultants’ city rankings for 2010 places Cape Town 86th
overall. It ranks 30th as an eco-city (based on factors including water
availability, air pollution and traffic congestion) while Johannesburg scored a
54th place.
If it were up to trendwatcher Dion Chang, Johannesburg would top
any list. He calls it a pioneer city which has “kept that kind of
personality”.
For him, the people and the climate count: “Joburg arguably has the
best climate. In winter you can still walk around in a T-shirt. I really just
think it’s the people and the energy that you have.”
DJ Black Coffee, whose favorite city is Cape Town, doesn’t have a
favourite outside of South Africa. “I love my country. I just came back from
Portugal. It’s a beautiful country but it’s nothing like home.”
Kwaito musician and producer Arthur Mafokate has a hard time
picking his favourite city in South Africa.
“I can live in any city in this country. Maybe it’s because I know
too many people around me,” he said.
Even though he admits loving London, he says he would never live
there.
About the survey
Mercer’s survey is aimed at helping governments and multinational
companies compensate employees fairly when placing them on international
assignments.
According to Mercer’s definition, quality of living measures the
“degree to which expatriates enjoy the potential standard of living in the host
location”.
Factors considered include crime levels, banking services, personal
freedoms, sanitation, schools, transport and the presence of “troublesome and
destructive animals and insects”.
The latest survey lists Vienna (Austria), Zurich (Germany), Geneva
(Switzerland), Vancouver (Canada) and Auckland (New Zealand) as the top five
urban living destinations.
The top five cities in Africa and the Middle East are: Dubai
(United Arab Emirates), Port Louis (Mauritius), Abu Dhabi (United Arab
Emirates), Cape Town and Tunis (Tunisia).