Uploaded on 2017-05-02 by Frank de Gouw

Based on the countries and cities that I have visited myself, I consider these five the most liveable cities. Especially the cities in Canada I experienced to be very livable. 1. Ottawa, Canada, North America 2. Toronto, Canada, North America 3. Munich, Germany, Europe 4. Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Europe 5. Montreal, Canada, North America Five characteristics that in my opinion are very important for a city to be experienced as a liveable one are: 1. Climate and pollution 2. The availability of gas, water, and electricity 3. Sufficient amenities and services (greenery, public spaces, educational access, health institutions, recreational facilities) 4. Infrastructure and mobility 5. Adequate housing (costs of living) I live in the city of Nijmegen, situated in the east of The Netherlands. For Dutch standards, Nijmegen is a medium-sized city with 170.000 inhabitants. My city can be called a very nice and liveable city to live in. I think this is due to two major points. One being the nice and cool climate Nijmegen is situated in, the other being the Dutch (urban) planning which caused, not only for the city of Nijmegen, but for most cities in The Netherlands to be very liveable. Like mentioned, the climate in The Netherlands is characterized by cool winters, where temperatures beneath 10 degrees are sporadic and temperatures above 30 degrees are also not very common during the summer. Furthermore, the soil in the Netherlands is in general very fertile and contains a lot of greenery and fauna. The availability of huge amounts of water, due to rainfall and many rivers also helps to increase to quality of living. The increasing pollution of the soil and air in the Netherlands however is becoming an increasing problem which needs to be tackled in the coming years to prevent a devaluation of city live and quality. In overall, I think we can be very content with our way of planning in The Netherlands. Of course, there are always flaws and problems in the system and in cities, but when comparing my situation in Nijmegen with developing countries that I’ve visited, we have nothing to really complain about. Everyone has the availability to use gas, water and electricity and for the most part there is adequate housing for everyone, whereby the cost of living isn’t too high. Although, latest trends show a huge increase in costs for living within cities themselves. This causes problems for people who are already living in the city centers who can be displaced. The infrastructural system in the Netherlands, with highways, provincial roads and the network of railroads also works quite good. A challenge for the future is to relieve the increasing pressure on these networks due to the growth of inhabitants and the occurring urbanization. Lastly, the presence of many different amenities and services in Nijmegen is very good. There are parks, a nice medieval city center, many public spaces, universities, schools, hospitals etc. So, in overall, the city of Nijmegen is in a situation wherein we can work on the details and where we can prepare our city for the future. (Picture is not taken by myself)