Uploaded on 2017-03-05 by Riddhima Khedkar

Most Livable cities: 1. New York 2. Singapore 3. Mumbai 4. Boston 5. London Characteristics that make cities livable: 1. Ease of access – Public transport is the most essential part in going around cities. If cities aren’t resident friendly then they cannot become livable. Ease access to places near and far is one of the many factors that residents see when moving to a city. 2. Resources – It is very much necessary to have food, water and shelter to live in a city. Without these it would be very difficult to survive. A city with sufficient supply of food and water (or self-sustainable) would be a livable one. 3. Infrastructure – Cities with a good infrastructure attract jobs, residents and development. With new jobs come individuals. With individuals come families and opportunities for development and growth; which further creates scope for urban expansion. 4. Recreation – Without recreation (entertainment and green belts) cities fail to survive. Recreational spaces small and large for the heart of cities. It also generates community and networks. 5. Safety – It is very important for residents to feel safe in their city. Being in a constant unsafe environment makes cities lose their livability and leads to slow deterioration. As a city Mumbai is very much livable, but it lacks a few livability characteristics. Mumbai lacks a lot of open green spaces. The condition of Mumbai during monsoon is extremely bad due to this also; the ongoing construction causes the drains to clog and leads to floods. Along with this, current events have proven that the city is unsafe and steps need to be taken to make the city safe at any point during the day. Action needs to be taken to beautify and increase the green spaces in Mumbai by intervening small spaces such as under the bridge spaces, courtyard spaces, traffic islands. Along with this carrying out tree plantation drives during monsoon and involving school kids for the same could be an educational yet playful solution. For safety measures, help booths with blue lights along with CCTV cameras at regular intervals need to be installed throughout the city. Not just this, the residents need to be vigilant and report any unsafe activity in their neighborhood. Mumbai being a big city with many internal roads and lanes; wayfinding signage need to be installed at cross roads, junctions, end/start of lanes/roads by which it would be easier to commute for pedestrians living within the city and also tourists. P.S.: Image taken from wikipedia for representation only.