Uploaded on 2016-12-17 by Jan Kowalczyk

1. How you define livability? For me a livable city is one which fulfills all the different social needs, such as mobility, economic security, clean air, green areas, recreational facilities. All of that allows to create social bonds between members of the community and between communities. Furthermore, a livable city is a city oriented towards its citizens, where local communities are actively participating in creating urban policies and the city’s development processes. So I think livability is more than just nice surroundings and good living conditions, it’s also spurring social activity and enabling citizens to fulfill their needs, roles, dreams and create meaningful bonds. 2. Livability ranking: a) Engagement b) Opportunity c) Transportation d) Neighborhood e) Housing f) Environment g) Health 3. American cities Detroit 47, Cleveland 56, Minneapolis 64 Detroit 47 38 -9 Cleveland 56 52 -4 Minneapolis 64 68 +4 When I customized the term ‘engagement’ in the Livability index into a higher importance, the total livability score in Detroit and Cleveland went down. It means that in both cities the level of civic and social involvement is rather low. It means that the social activity and social capital is an issue that should be improved by the local authorities. On the other hand, the result for Minneapolis went up, which can be the proof that local authorities in the city pay more attention to this issue than other cities.