Uploaded on 2015-06-09 by martinecarney

> your own experience and judgment, placing the most liveable city at > the top of the list. Livable cities Like a few others in this final assignment I am at a disadvantage. Of the Cities listed in the surveys as most livable I have only visited a handful of the US cities a few Taiwanese cities and a few Canadian cities. Additionally there are even fewer cities that I have spent enough time in to assess them properly. So I feel more comfortable starting with evaluating the qualities that make Cities livable. (Unfortunately the academic honesty requirements at EDX prevent me from placing Zurich and Singapore at the top of my list.) > Step 2: Describe in your own words five characteristics that according > to your opinion make a city liveable. Order them placing the most > important at the top of the list. Livability stocks and flows in order of importance **opportunity** **clean streets, air, water** **sense of community** **amenities** (parks, theatre, music) **Transportation quality** and low congestion Opportunity is the most critical factor in the liveability of a place. With it a person living in a place can feel that good things are possible there, without it the other factors that make a place livable become less important. Opportunity goes directly to the individuals and needs to express themselves and accomplish something with their life. Clean streets air and water are central to an individual's sense of well-being and health. In modern industrial societies pollution is a near-universal problem. Cities are considered clean even when their environments are far more polluted than most relatively pristine rural areas. The Closer a city can get to the ideal natural qualities found in uncontaminated parts of the world the more satisfying its residents interactions with their environment will be. A sense of community is vital for a City's sustainability. All cities have problems that need fixing. The quality of the sense of community held by a place's residents goes to their commitment to the place and to each other. The stronger the sense of community the more the citizens will be inclined to address their problems through common effort, and the greater satisfaction they will take from participating in it. Amenities such as cultural activities park spaces libraries and entertainment venues are things that the city's density makes possible. They have transformed Cities from places of desperation where populations streamed to find sustenance into destinations are sought out for the richness they can deliver into the lives of people. A city's transportation systems are the mechanisms by which its resident engage in all the activities that make up its essential being. When they are poor and efficient they restrict opportunity, both economic and cultural, for the city's residents. Lack of access to transportation and inefficient and congested transportation structures deny opportunity and create frustration. While efficient and highly available transportation systems provide opportunities for the residents and the for the city. As with other stocks and flows these characteristics of a city are in constant flux and cross over into each other and exert influence on each other as they ebb and flow. An issue such as jobs would span the characteristics of opportunity and transportation, and would influence a sense of community. Housing would bridge the realms of opportunity clean air water and streets, a sense of community, amenities and transportation. There are probably many different paths by which a city can achieve a high livability. One city can be full of economic opportunity while another may have a pristine environment within it and in the surrounding region. To some degree the characteristics that make a city livable are judged by the sensibilities of the beholder and one city maybe more livable for a resident in a particular neighborhood or group of neighborhoods then it is for others that live in places that are less well served by the city's current structure > Step 3: Describe the status of your own city in terms of the five > characteristics that you listed above. Propose how your city > should/could be transformed in relation to these characteristics in > order to be more sustainable. Pittsburgh Pennsylvania livability assessment My city has been rated very highly on national livability lists over the last decade. Six times it has topped livable cities lists in The Economist, Forbes and the Places Rated Almanac, and has ranked in the top ten on the Grosvenor resilient cities list. That it has has probably contributed to some of its recent success in attracting new business and immigration. So Pittsburgh's opportunity index is on the upswing. By continuing to attract new businesses and residents the city can continue to improve its educational and professional opportunities. Pittsburgh used to be one of the most polluted cities in the world, described by James Parton in the 1800's as "hell with the lid taken off." It has transformed itself over the last 30 years. The air is much cleaner and the rivers far less polluted, but there is a good way to go toward achieving the air and water quality that can be found further distances from the city. Natural gas extraction using fracking techniques has become a major industry in this area over the last decade. it will need to be monitored and regulated closely to ensure that it does not contribute significant water and air pollution to the city and the region. Storm-water runoff projects to prevent sewage overflow into the watershed need to be invested in to take river cleanup to the next level. Pittsburgh's sense of community is one of the strongest assets. There is a unique regional dialect here that contributes to a strong sense of expatriate culture throughout the nation and someone familiar with it can often identify a former Pittsburgher by hearing them speak a few words. Traditionally the city's people express a high degree of pride in its past and in the accomplishments of the people in this region. The parks, and cultural amenities in the city are very good when compared to similarly sized communities. As the city continues to change and develop there are many areas of potential improvement in rezoning and redevelopment of neighborhoods that have become obsolete in their layout and use. Transportation infrastructure is probably Pittsburgh's greatest challenge. Relatively low population density restricts the available funding to sustain effective transportation systems while hills and rivers create costly barriers to road and rail solutions. Long-term planning and new innovations will be necessary to solve many of the city's transportation related issues. But by focusing on the highest return on investment opportunities; developing integration of between bike trails, light rail and bus transit systems (through park and ride lots, intermodal rail and bus terminals and bike share programs) progress can be made. In closing I would like to say "thanks so much" for all the great information and insight into city planning and information gathering. I really appreciate the opportunity and all the faculty and students perspectives. Yours, Martin Carney ![Plaque at World war II memorial on Pittsburgh's north shore ][1] [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14338711725361747.jpg