Uploaded on 2015-10-22 by sdeleersnyder

1. Economy and Job opportunities (incl. purchasing power, housing affordability etc.) 2. Environment and sanitation standards (incl. air & water quality, noise pollution, access to green areas, cleanliness etc.) 3. Transportation & Infrastructures 4. Safety 5. Culture & recreational possibilities **2.&3. Why do we live where we live?** 1. Job opportunities (80/100) I live in Paris above all for professional reasons: as the capital of a geocentric country, Paris gathers most of the job opportunities and careers perspective, especially for french people living in couple and holding a master-level degree. ![Business area 'La défense' seen from the LV art foundation][1] 2. Proximity and connectivity (85/100) The second reason why I live in Paris is the proximity (or connectivity?) with my family and friends: Most of my friends are in Paris, but I am from Lyon, where my family is, and which is 2 hours by train. I also have some friends abroad, and I often visit them during long weekends and holidays, another reason why I appreciate Paris's connectivity. ![Gare de Lyon railway station][2] 3. Environment (i.e. Air quality and proximity to green areas) (50/100) I originally come from the countryside so I enjoy green and relaxed lifestyle. Although I think it could be much better, I like to go running on the "coulée verte" (literally "green corridor", a former railway now furnished with grass, flowers and planted trees that link 'Gare de Lyon' to Vincenne's wood) and I am satisfied with the relatively good air quality, especially compared to Shanghai where I used to live for 2 years. 4. Style and culture (90/100) As a compensation to the noisy and stressful ambiance, I enjoy the cultural life in Paris: I like the historical buildings in Paris and the uniformity of the architecture is stunning. Plus there is always an art expo, a music band, a restaurant or a beautiful district to discover. Generally speaking, I feel like the cultural life here is vibrant and unique. ![Stravinsky Fountain near beaubourg][3] 5. Transportation and infrastructures (40/100) There are a lot of infrastructures free or cheap to access in Paris (e.g. swimming pools) and even though cycling in Paris is still terrible compared to Northern Europe cities, the metro is pretty reliable (unlike the RER) and will get you anywhere in Paris within an hour. **4. What would you change?** I feel like Parisians are facing 3 long term issues : 1. Economic austerity and mass unemployment. Though I don't think a mayor can bring serious long term solution to such a global economic problem, and Paris is already the most attractive city in France for its economic dynamism. Hence, I don't see much solutions apart from classical funding power (support to local initiatives and innovative projects, building activity poles etc.). 2. Housing affordability and traffic congestion due to concentricity. Here again, I think the architectural conservatism in Paris is a big restriction on building more housing within Paris intramural, so the alternative solution would be to spead-out the center of gravity, trying to decentralize the economic activity (encouraging companies to implant in the suburbs, reinforcing transport infrastructure, building circle lines in between suburbs etc.), thus allowing more people to live in the suburbs and alleviating road congestion problems. 3. Ambient Environmental stressors and microstressors : air quality, noise pollution, overcrowded and unreliable transportation system (respectively road congestion) etc. Decentralization and public transportation reinforcement could be a solution, discouraging people to take their cars in the center (e.g. with city tolls) and encouraging alternative clean mobility (cycling, electric mobility, car sharing etc.) is also a way to explore. Another great change that I would push forward is the green-ization of the city, i.e. developing green areas (e.g. on the river banks, on former rail roads), encouraging urban farming etc. **5. Why do we move?** Amsterdam, London, Singapore Job opportunities, Environment and sanitation standards, Transportation & Infrastructures, Safety, Culture [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14455311333830259.jpg [2]: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/P1060282_Paris_XII_gare_de_Lyon_gd_hall_rwk.JPG [3]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14455309914406399.jpg