Uploaded on 2017-01-11 by HeikeLob

3. Compulsory exercise 1. Livability factor Ranking I would mark "job opportunities" as an overall factor as all others depend on what you can afford - but knowing that this is not the main question of this excercise I rank the factors as follows: 1. Housing (very strong realted to job opportunities or income level - as this depends on what you can afford) 2. Health (same as above) 3. Infrastructure 4. Education (strong related to income level) 5. Environment 2. 5 Reasons to live in Chicago 1. Job driven decision (job opportunity) 2. City with a very high rate of international connectivity (many different cultures) 3. Good infrastructure (communication network access, water and energy network access, public transportation, bike lanes, international airport) 4. Medical care provision (good hospital and doctors network also for children) 5. Recreational opportunities with large lake shore and several city parks 3. Fulfillment of livability criterias Chicago: Score: 50 Housing conditions are ok but many homeless people on the streets and based on the climate Chicago gets very cold during winter. Healthcare system: medical care coverage is good but only for the people who can afford it. Not everybody is able to access. Transportation system is quite good and provides public transportation as well as bike lane network which contributes to environmental care Education system is not in good shape based on the poor quality of public school system Environmental factors: High air pollution based on car and airplane traffic are only compensated to ome extend by the public transportation and the "Great" Lake Michigan. The city also suffers from the unawareness of people regarding waste management like many other US cities. 4. Opportunities for changes Expand the bike lane network Increase housing and job opportunities even further for homeless people especially to provide shelter in winter times. Increase public transportation network for even better transportation across the city area. Improve public education system by adding further funding. The education is a very important base for future development of a city. As currently the school and living area are strongly related only high income families can afford better schools (either by living in school districts with good quality schools or by enabling private school attendance). This leads to further division ion the city society and city areas and avoids harmonized development on an equal base for everybody no matter of financial, social, cultural or racial background. Provide medical care for everybody – as this is a rather complex topic and not to be resolved on local (city) level, new approaches in this area might not be established on city (mayor) level. 5. 3 cities of choice 1. Duesseldorf (Germany): Provides - Housing available although expensive to some extend - Good education system (Public education is still a good option) - Good public transportation system - Provides generally good medical care coverage and doctor´s network across the city - Environmentally ok but a rather uncomfortable humid climate 2. Frankfurt - Housing available although expensive to some extend - Good education system (Public education is still a good option) - Good public transportation system - Provides generally good medical care coverage and doctor´s network across the city - Environmentally ok and a rather comfortable climate 3. Hamburg - Housing available although expensive to some extend - Good education system (Public education is still a good option) - Good public transportation system - Provides generally good medical care coverage and doctor´s network across the city - Environmentally ok and provides access to recreational areas like the sea and several lakes nearby My top ranking of cities which I would chose to live in are all located in Germany based on my background. Therefore I think the cultural and social environment plays a major role in this type of decision besides the aspect of job opportunities which might allow to prioritizse other cities. In addition to income opportunities (financial and economic situation) the main objective for deciding in which country or city someone choses to live is the cultural, social and personal background in my opinion as if you don´t have job opportunities you will probably prefer to live in a familiar (well-known and established) environment.