The World’s Fairest City Yours and Mine

Soon, more than two thirds of all human beings
on the planet will live in cities, and the number of
increasingly mobile people who shuttle effortlessly
between major cities is constantly growing. Every
year, various city rankings choose the “top ten”
cities in the world. But what makes a city really
livable? The answer to this question, as offered
by the rankings, is anything but satisfactory. Their
economically oriented, quantitative criteria are
often taken out of context. But personal eperience
is much more complex than this.
Design2context began by studying established
city rankings, then analyzed scenes from everyday
urban life, and developed criteria that make it
possible to rationally examine urban quality of life
from “softer” and emotional perspectives. The
result is fifty criteria and a questionnaire that
invites the reader to actively reflect on his or her
own personal criteria for urban quality of life.
Essays by the researchers illuminate the scientific
background of the study