Coffee at Zurich train station: charming old with the new
London, England (GenevaLunch) – Zurich has another feather in its cap, after being selected as the world’s most livable city by the latest edition of Monocle magazine in London. Copenhagen is number two and Tokyo number three. Poor Geneva is relegated to slot number 24 out of 25, down one place from 2008, but cheered on for its easy access to lake and mountain as its main assets. What they say about Zurich: “And in this year’s winner is Zurich, where the city’s investment in tranpsort is remarkable” and the main station makeover is the key asset mentioned.
Monocle’s list dates back to 2007, making it a relative newcomer in the cities-we-love lists business. Mercer does it as a quality of life list for businesses and their employees and The Economist Intelligence Unit does it for its readers, ranking cities by quantifying “the challenges that might be presented to an individual’s lifestyle.” The EIU list, which came out 11 June 2009, ranks Geneva eighth and Zurich tenth. It gives six of the top 10 slots to North American cities, whereas Monocle sniffs at them and has only one in its top 25. It counts the number of cinemas and other comfort factors for its list.
London, England (Economist Intelligence Unit) – The annual Economist liveability survey of 140 cities worldwide ranks Vancouver in first place with an almost perfect 98 score out of 100. There are four European cities among the top 10. Vienna is in second place, Helsinki in seventh, just ahead of eighth-tied Geneva, Sydney and Zurich.
