Livable Cities – from Dortmund to Tokyo
The greenest, the most dynamic, the most bike-friendly – every year, different international institutions select cities for particularly life-worthy qualities. DEKRA solutions presents five of these locations.
The city of Copenhagen has been ranked 1st among the most bicycle-friendly cities since 2015. Photo: Visit Denmark – Kim Wyon
Tokyo, London, or Vienna – urban life is more popular than ever. According to the United Nations (UN), the proportion of urban population will increase by around one billion to 5.2 billion people by 2030. Also in Germany, there were more people living in cities in 2019 than ever before: a total of 77.4 percent according to Statista. Our ranking overview shows which cities around the world impress with special qualities and why Google Street View and Instagram hashtags also play a role in the rating.
The most bicycle-friendly city
Corona has shown that bicycles can be a serious means of transport, especially in cities. This boom was demonstrated by pop-up bicycle routes and months of delay to buy a bike. Besides the low risk of infection, it’s environmentally friendly and good for people’s health. This makes it all the more important for cities to prepare themselves for bicycle traffic. The Copenhagenize Index shows which cities are committed to infrastructure, safety, and bike-sharing programs. Since 2015, the city of Copenhagen itself has been in first place, closely followed by Amsterdam and Utrecht. But cities further south, such as Bordeaux and Vienna, are also among the top ten most bicycle-friendly cities.
London is still one of the top cities. Photo: visitlondon.com – Antoine Buchet
The most dynamic city
If you take a look at Europe, one city stands out. Despite rather moderate weather, London still holds its own as one of the top cities. Whether in terms of infrastructure, inclusion of diverse groups, or innovation of technical novelties, the city on the Thames places first in Savills Investment Management’s Dynamic Cities Ranking. London also came out on top for the sixth year in a row in the ranking of the 100 best cities, scoring especially well on promotion, as measured by Google search results, Instagram hashtags, and Trip Advisor ratings. Whether Brexit will change this status remains to be seen.
The safest city
The Safe Cities Index examines where in the world you can feel safe. Experts don’t only look at the personal feeling of safety. Health, infrastructure, and digital security are also among the decisive criteria. These include, for example, easy access to healthcare systems or good planning in the event of a disaster. One city has ranked first for the third time in a row: Tokyo. Singapore takes second place here, too, followed by Osaka in Japan in third.
DEKRA Assurance Services have awarded Dortmund the certificate “City with excellent quality of life”. Photo: City of Dortmund – S. Kleemann
The most livable city
Not only big metropolises around the world impress with their offers and appearances. DEKRA Assurance Services have, for example, awarded Dortmund the certificate “City with excellent quality of life”. In particular, criteria such as cleanliness, safety, sustainability, and urban life and living are assessed and tested. According to the Global Liveability Index 2019 of the Economist Intelligence Unit, Vienna is the city with the best quality of life in an international comparison. The Austrian capital scores particularly well in health care, culture, and education.
The greenest city
The fact that plants and trees are very important for cities was clear long before the climate debate of recent years. Greenery not only improves air quality but also city atmosphere. To find out which cities are particularly green, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the World Economic Forum 2016 have designed a platform that measures just that. Using Google Street View data, the platform looks at how large a city’s “green roof” is. With a share of 36.1 percent, the city of Tampa, Florida, ranks first, followed by Singapore with 29.3 percent.
Parking Safely Means Arriving Safely
Safe parking lots for trucks remain in short supply. An EU-wide uniform safety standard for truck parking areas is intended to make the transportation of goods less dangerous and stressful. Digital booking platforms help to make more efficient use of parking spaces and make the daily lives of professional drivers more comfortable.
Train Stations Full of Superlatives and Curiosities
Train stations are not generally given a lot of attention, probably due to their purpose: People arriving there want to move on as quickly as possible. But it is often worth taking a closer look, because there are many unique and curious things about the buildings themselves.
