Uploaded on 2015-10-10 by George1989

1. Which are your top livability criteria? 1. Housing 2. Health Care 3. Safety 4. Job Opportunities 5. Culture 2. Why do we live where we live? Location: Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands The reasons why I decided to stay here in Groningen, the Northern Part of the Netherlands, were made quite some time ago. The main reason was education. I stayed here for my bachelor’s degree in architecture. Furthermore I stayed here because the majority of my friends and family also live here. Besides the three reasons I mentioned I also decided to stay here because of the vast offer of sporting facilities. The last reason why I decided to stay here is that Groningen is a big student city. It’s young, vibrant and pretty much always booming. But when you finish you education here in Groningen, there aren’t really many possibilities. It’s hard to find a job, even a part time job because all the students are also applying for similar jobs and it’s more beneficial for employers to hire students than graduated people who are looking for either a part-tome or full time job. Given that, Groningen is an excellent city if you’re a student in your early twenties. Currently I’ve got all the reasons to move to the southwest. Either to finish a master’s degree or find a job. Finishing a master’s degree is the wisest decision in this case. 3. To what extend does your own place of residence fulfill your ideal livability criteria? 1. Housing 65 2. Health Care 85 3. Safety 90 4. Job Opportunities 50 5. Culture 40 General livability score: 66 4. What would you change? If I were the mayor of the city I would plead for more accessible and more importantly affordable housing for students, young professionals as well as other people. Furthermore I would support cultural initiatives and try to increase the average minimum income. 5. Why do we move? If it’s within the Netherlands then I would move to the west or southwest. The three places would be: 1. Amsterdam 2. The Hague area (Delft) 3. Rotterdam Amsterdam: 1. Education 2. City Maturity 3. Job opportunities 4. Culture 5. International Connectivity The Hague Area (Delft) 1. Housing 2. Education 3. Culture 4. Job Opportunities 5. Environment. Rotterdam 1. Education 2. Job opportunities 3. City Maturity 4. International Connectivity 5. Environment So when I compare these given criteria, I can conclude that I would be willing to exchange safety and health care for other criteria like: environment, international connectivity, salary, culture, job opportunities and a more ‘mature’ city. Here are some picture I took from one of the University 'districts'. There is another one in the city centre with older architecture, but this architecture in particular is relatively contemporary. ![View of Groningen from my studio][1] ![Uni. Campus 1][2] ![Grote Markt, Groningen][3] ![Uni Campus 2][4] ![Sports Centre][5] ![Uni Campus 3][6] ![Uni.][7] [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14444911545841374.jpg [2]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14444911875203455.jpg [3]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14444907836279105.jpg [4]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/1444490925790126.jpg [5]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14444909471606449.jpg [6]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14444909688733029.jpg [7]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14444909972707917.jpg