Uploaded on 2015-10-14 by Kastas

1. Economy 2. Transportation 3. Culture 4. Safety 5. Environment **Why do we live where we live?** BERLIN: 1. personal reasons 2. cultural and recreational possibilities 3. green areas 4. affordability 5. public-partcipation ![Natur-Park Südgelände (18ha)][1] **To what extend does your own place of residence fulfill your ideal livability criteria?** My rate of Berlin: 85/100 **What would you change?**
 I am generally happy to live in Berlin. Each year it is very high at liveability rankings. Berlin, in comparison to other German cities (like Frankfurt, Munich or Hamburg) and many European cities is still very inexpensive, although the rent prices have recently been rising fast. The cultural offering for all age groups and interests is very rich. It is a ‘hip place’, which attracts young people from all over the world, making the already multi-cultural Berlin even more cosmopolitan. On the down side Berlin’s economy is rather weak and many young people leave to other cities after finishing the studies to find attractive and well-paid jobs. The metropolitan area is very well connected (inner-city transport, S-Bahn, bike routes). Thanks to many alternative options, the means of public transport are usually not so crowded. Many people cycle during warm months of the year, although compared to cities like Copenhagen, bicycle infrastructure in Berlin still needs a lot of upgrading. While Berlin’s crime statistics are not particularly bad and definitely not as bad as in many other cities, e.g. in the USA, some parts of Berlin at nighttime can feel rather unsafe, especially U-Bahn stations which have CCTV, but no staff present. Generally, public areas are not under CCTV, but more and more private grounds are. In my opinion Berlin needs to capitalise more on its young creative economy and in order to do so, needs to find a solution to the rapidly rising rents. If Berlin looses its affordability, the young people will move on to a new ‘raw’, hip city, presumably further east, like Warsaw. 
 **Why do we move?** 
 1. Copenhagen 2. Wroclaw 3. Amsterdam 5 qualities of these places that played important role: 1. Affordability: The city, with everything it offers (including rending or buying of a flat/house) needs to be affordable for an average citizen. A city can be attractive from architectural and cultural perspective, but if an average citizen cannot afford to participate in the cultural offerings regularly, the quality of life is diminished and frustration arises. 2. Transportation: a good network of public transport and bike infrastructure are very important factors but the city should be also pedestrian-friendly (walkable city). The use of cars shouldn’t be obligatory. 3. Culture: variety of cinemas, theatres, art galleries but also open-space festivals. 4. Safety: a feeling of being safe, also walking the streets late at night. Doesn’t necessarily mean having CCTV all over the city. 5. Economy and job opportunities [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14448476653669995.jpg