Uploaded on 2015-10-08 by AliciaPC

1. Climate 2. Environment 3. Sanitation Standards 4. Education 5. Health Care **Why do we live where we live?** I live in Madrid, the capital city of Spain. I live there because is where I was born, although there is a good place to live in too. The first reason is the Mediterranean climate. Summers are warm (sometimes a bit hot) and winters are not too cold. We have a lot of sun hours during the year. Public parks and open spaces help to enjoy the good weather and become activity and social focuses. Second, food in Spain is affordable, abundant and it has very good quality. There is a lot of variety and Madrid, located in the centre of the country, has a wide offer. Tap water is clean and the city supplies from the closest mountains. Social services (health care, education,…) are efficient and play a big role in terms of livability. The majority of people rely on social services that are paid with taxes. I consider this very important to the development and prosperity of the population as economic inequality is mitigated. Madrid is also the political, economic and cultural centre of Spain. There is a lot of leisure and cultural options: museums, monuments, historic buildings, exhibitions and so on. People is warm and friendly, and always in the mood for partying. **To what extend does your own place of residence fulfill your ideal livability criteria?** On a scale from 1-100, 1. Climate 85% 2. Environment 70% 3. Sanitation Standards 90% 4. Education 90% 5. Health Care 85% Overall, I would say Madrid has a score of 85% in terms of livability. It is quite good but could be improved. **What would you change?** First, I would try to make things better and improve what the city has achieved, despite what politicians have done until now (depleting the social services, stealing money from the citizens, not setting pollution limits…). First I would focus on the Environment: trying to reduce contamination and leading Madrid to be a sustainable city. Second, I would invest in social services so everyone has free education and health care. Mitigate economic inequality is now a big issue since Spain has increased its poverty rates. Also, I would improve the public transportation services (as well as encouraging and allowing people to use the bicycle) and, finally, I would manage the underused public spaces and buildings to fulfill the needs of the citizens. **Why do we move?** 1 – Barcelona. - Climate is even better than in Madrid. - Located in the coast by the Mediterranean Sea, it has very nice beaches. - Rich culture, a wide cultural offer. - The cost of living is lower than Madrid. - It is a smaller city and transportation is easier. Bikes are very used. 2 – Berlin. - Multicultural city. - Affordable. - Rich culture, a wide cultural offer. - Job opportunities. - Good social services and transportation. Bikes are very used too. 2 – Mallorca. - Good climate. Warm weather and nice beaches. - Tranquility, relax. It is a smaller city than Madrid. - Affordable. - Good Mediterranean food. - Less pollution. ![Madrid][1] ![Madrid 2][2] [1]: http://i61.tinypic.com/1zqfy2q.jpg [2]: http://i59.tinypic.com/30rwlkh.jpg