Uploaded on 2015-11-29 by LukasVician

1. My top-5 livability criteria are Economy, Environment, Safety, Transportation, and Infrastructure. It is difficult to pick 5, but I think that these encompass everything you desperately need in a city. With good economy come more possibilities for the people living in the cities, and these bring better infrastructure and overall easiness in the lives of the inhabitants. Environment encompasses green areas intertwined with roads and building in a modern and livable manner. Paying strong attention to safety as my livability criteria is important when dealing with other questions. 2. There are many reasons why I chose to live in The Hague. The most important one is of course the education. I live and study International Law in The Hague for 4 years already, with this being my last year. In connection to the studies, I chose to live in The Hague because of its relevance to international law and its underlying opportunities it offers for students as a city of peace and justice. It offers international connectivity, various relevant international organizations and many more venues of interest to me. Moreover, I chose to live in The Hague also because of its modern feel and of the community of people from all around the world that live and work/study here. It is also a great place to live in for young architects as it offers beautiful possibilities when it comes to its city centre, where old buildings are joined by modern buildings, which anyway keep the old-fashioned design to not stand out of the crowd. I cannot miss to stress that the Dutch Parliament is situated in The Hague, and it is indeed a work of art. The picture I am uploading comes from <https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/images/shutterstock_102497870.jpg> (as I am not a good photographer), and it shows how the majestic building from centuries ago is situated on water and brings the necessary "vibe" to the city centre of this smaller, but great city. 3. For the time being, and for what I currently expect of The Hague, it definitely fulfills my ideal livability criteria of Economy, Tranportation, Infrastructure, and Environment, with at least a 95 in each. However, it is a bit more difficult when it comes to safety and the score there would be 65. This is due to the fact that there are some districts of The Hague where different people of different culture reside and these bring unrest and discomfort to regular people in the city, to say the least. However, a general livability score for my city would be subjectively 85, ranking it very high. 4. As a first measure to improve livability as a mayor, I would indeed communicate with the government to strengthen the police supervision of all parts of the city to make the city safer and more comfortable for its inhabitants. It is one of the most important livability criteria not to fear for your safety and e.g. your bikes when you lock them properly anywhere in the city. The gangs are disregarding the other people and the damage is not only economical for the injured parties or the city, but also for the livability and the overall impression of the city. 5. The three places I would select to move to in case I decided to change my current place of residence are Vienna, Brussels, or Amsterdam. It is difficult to rank the importance of each of the criteria, nor to name the cities I would move to as it does not depend entirely on me but also on the necessities of my work and my projects. However, Vienna is on top of the list because I know it very well as my birthplace is only 30 minutes away and I have spent many days in Vienna. The city is one of the best in the world and it proves its worth to its inhabitants. The infrastructure and economy is on a very high level and indeed if possible to pay the rent or buy an apartment/house in Vienna, I would not hesitate. When it comes to Amsterdam or Brussels, I know these from my studies in The Hague and they already proved their worth to me by their openness and comfortable living. Brussels possibly has more disadvantages nowadays, it still stays in my heart as a city where I would always be welcome. ![The Hague - Dutch Parliament in City Centre][1] [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14488367063729897.jpg