Uploaded on 2016-02-27 by jaybee84

1. Housing 2. Job opportunities 3. Infrastructure 4. Environment 5. Culture Housing and Jobs - Although the top two do not necessarily contribute to developing the unique character that defines a city, they do serve as the fundamental building blocks of the urban fabric. The combination of affordable housing and job opportunities are a major attractor of people. And of course without people it is impossible to establish all the other necessary elements that contribute to a successful and livable city. Infrastructure - Once a city has attracted people through affordable housing and work opportunities, it must then be able to cater for their essential needs through effective infrastructure. This a broad term so for my purposes I will take it to encompass both hard and soft infrastructure, including such things as roads and electricity (hard) and local governance, hospitals, schools and parks (soft). Environment - Although I have placed environment fourth, I do believe it should always be an overarching concern in the delivery of the first three criteria on my list. Ignoring environmental heath can have a massive detrimental impact on livability in the long term as has been pointed out by [Madalina Iordan with her post on Shanghai][1]. Culture - Once a city has been able to attract people and cater for their essential needs it can increase its focus on the qualities that are so important for retaining those same people, such as dedicated cultural districts (eg – Southbank, London) and community led placemaking. **Why do you live where you live?** I currently live in Bunbury, a tiny city in the south west of Western Australia. 1. Family and friends 2. Infrastructure 3. Environment 4. Housing 5. Culture Family - I have lived in a number of places, including London, but after the birth of our first child, we moved to Bunbury, where we were both raised. The city offered the emotional support structures we felt important in raising a family, including grandparents and close friends. Infrastructure - As mentioned above, this is a broad term and I use it again in the same sense. Bunbury possesses quality infrastructure including schools and effective healthcare. Below are photos of green infrastructure, including a park and a bioswale off the main high street. ![Green Infrastructure][2] ![Bioswale][3] Environment - With a mild Mediterranean climate and small population, Bunbury enjoys a clean environment which is supported through investment in quality infrastructure such as the above mentioned bioswales. Housing - Although still over priced, housing in Bunbury is much cheaper than the major capital city, Perth. Culture - There are a number of small towns/cities within the south west region but Bunbury is the largest and offers the greatest amount of cultural life. In recent years there has been an increased focus within the city on cultural events and a greater recognition of how they increase livability. One such example is [Bunbury's yearly street art festival][4] which invites artists from across the world to create new works in the city. ![Bunbury street art][5] **To what extent does your place of residence fulfill your own livability criteria?** Housing – 50 Housing in WA is very over priced owing to the recent mining boom. Prices are coming down but are still high when compared to wages. Job Opportunities – 60 Infrastructure – 90 Environment – 90 WA has an amazing environment but we are certainly beginning to suffer the effects of climate change with increasing prevalence of [heatwaves and associated bushfires.][6] Culture – 30 Bunbury is simply too small to offer the cultural life of major cities. Total score = 64 **What would you change?** Australian towns and cities need to slowly move away from their car-centric design. [Inspired by FerencH's post][7], I believe a car free urban centre is a great way to increase livability. With parking located on the fringes of the centre, walkability is encouraged, leading to greater street level engagement and a more vibrant urban core. I would also increase the use of mixed zoning so residential areas are not so isolated from services such as shops, cafes and bars. This would decrease the car use and create more livable neighborhoods. For example, the park shown in the attached photo is severely under utilized. Through the use of mixed zoning around its periphery (small shops and bars instead of houses) the park could become a community focal point rather than an underused piece of land. **Why do we move?** These cities are all very different and I would to each for different reasons. Melbourne – culture, job opportunities, infrastructure, environment, transportation Vancouver - culture, environment, international connectivity, infrastructure, job opportunities, Hong Kong – international connectivity, culture, job opportunities, transportation, economy. [1]: https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:ETHx+FC-02x+T1_2016/discussion/forum/907c88aa7617b6d165ebf9ec7205f17305c24e3a/threads/56cea99aec442e052b000818 [2]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/145655880690335.jpg [3]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14565592204628655.jpg [4]: http://www.sixtwothreezero.com/ [5]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14565596961683285.jpg [6]: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-09/hot-weather-record-for-perth/7153994 [7]: https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:ETHx+FC-02x+T1_2016/discussion/forum/907c88aa7617b6d165ebf9ec7205f17305c24e3a/threads/56cde30aec442e0501000761