Worldwide Living Standards tested

Wernazuma III · March 3, 2003, 15:25

Now, I know it's impossible to believe for many Americans that people from Europe really wouldn't let slip away an occasion to move to America if they could. Yes, yes, Anti-Americanism and all that, but it's only envy and if they had a chance, frankly, they wouldn't hesitate a minute. After all, America got to be the best place to live and everyone knows it deep inside.
That's a very widespread American attitude from what I've found out in the past years in several discussions here on Poly.

Here's the recent results of a study which compared the standard of living all over the world.

The results of the study can be found here: http://www.imercer.com/globalcontent...ewsrelease.asp
The best American city is San Francisco on place 18!

Discuss.

Nubclear · March 3, 2003, 15:29

Helsinki is SIXTH

Shi Huangdi · March 3, 2003, 15:35

Woohoo! Go Pittsburgh! We're number 48!

Ben Kenobi · March 3, 2003, 15:41

Vancouver THIRD!

Take that, Yanks.

Combat Ingrid · March 3, 2003, 16:06

A Chinese friend of mine moved to US a few years ago. For him, US was the only possible place to live in because that's where you make a good career with lots of money etc etc.
However, now he is trying hard to move back to Sweden, permanently.
It seems it was just too much work for him to make a good career over there. In Sweden, it's easier because we have a more relaxed attitude to work. We try to work more efficient instead of just working more and harder. That way, we have more spare time left for getting drunk properly in the weekend

Boris Godunov · March 3, 2003, 16:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Wernazuma III

The best American city is San Francisco on place 18!

Discuss.

I've been trying to tell people all along the simple truth that homosexuals make everything better.

DeathByTheSword · March 3, 2003, 16:26

hell A`dam is 12....in overall ranking....WOW HOW f*cked up are those cities +13 if A`dam is 12....

Ben Kenobi · March 3, 2003, 16:30

Quote:

I've been trying to tell people all along the simple truth that homosexuals make everything better.

So Vancouver has more homosexuals than San Francisco?

Arrian · March 3, 2003, 16:39

San Fran beats out Honolulu? I don't buy it.

-Arrian

Asher · March 3, 2003, 16:44

Quote:

Thirteen of the world’s top 30 cleanest cities are in North America, mainly due to their expanse and general lack of congestion. These include Calgary

Quote:

Calgary scores highest with an environmental rating of 166

Booyah.

Go figure that the oil capital of Canada gets the highest environmental rating in the world.

Kontiki · March 3, 2003, 16:59

Quote:

Originally posted by Asher

Booyah.

Go figure that the oil capital of Canada gets the highest environmental rating in the world.

Yeah, but that's just where the head offices are. Very little oil is actually pumped out within Calgary, and the oil sands are up north. I'd like to see what the rating for, say, Leduc would be.

Asher · March 3, 2003, 17:03

Quote:

Originally posted by Kontiki
Yeah, but that's just where the head offices are. Very little oil is actually pumped out within Calgary, and the oil sands are up north. I'd like to see what the rating for, say, Leduc would be.

True, but there are still a fair share of refineries and everything in the city.

People always slam Albertans for not caring about the environment, but they kindly skim over things like being the first city in North America to have their LRT powered 100% by Windpower and the like...

Imran Siddiqui · March 3, 2003, 17:03

Quote:

Scores are based on the level of air pollution and the efficiency of waste disposal and sewage systems.

This is DEFINETLY different than 'Standard of Living'. Was this just a slip or a purposeless false misrespresentation.

I guess you can say this is a list of the environmentally best places to live.

Asher · March 3, 2003, 17:03

Quote:

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
This is DEFINETLY different than 'Standard of Living'. Was this just a slip or a purposeless false misrespresentation.

I guess you can say this is a list of the environmentally best places to live.

Click on the link. It ranks environmental (the criteria which you cited), and general standard of living, which includes far more.

Quote:

The analysis was based on an evaluation of 39 quality of life criteria for each city including political, social, economic, and environmental factors; personal safety and health; education; transport; and other public services. The survey was conducted to assist multinational companies in assessing international hardship allowances for their expatriate workers.

There are two lists on the site.

Imran Siddiqui · March 3, 2003, 17:12

Quote:

The survey was conducted to assist multinational companies in assessing international hardship allowances for their expatriate workers.

AH! This study again! The one that rates cities for how good they are for expatriate workers and not really rating them on which are best in general.

That one of the few studies done on 'standard of living' which would have LA ranked ahead of NY

. (not to mention that Ottawa is ranked higher than Paris and Tokyo!!)

Oh, and even in that study the US has 9 cities in the top 50, much more than another other country.

Imran Siddiqui · March 3, 2003, 17:14

Quote:

Thirteen of the world’s top 30 cleanest cities are in North America, mainly due to their expanse and general lack of congestion. These include Calgary (166), Honolulu (161.5), Ottawa, and Minneapolis (both 154), which feature in the top six, together with Montreal, Vancouver, Atlanta, Boston, Lexington, Pittsburgh, Portland, Washington DC, and Winston-Salem, which all score 145.5 and share 17th position.

LOLOLOL!!! Lack of congestion?! Who did this survey anyway? If it wasn't for LA, Atlanta would be #1 in the US for traffic congestion!

Asher · March 3, 2003, 17:17

Perhaps Atlanta should have a competent public transit system?

Imran Siddiqui · March 3, 2003, 17:22

Yes, Atlanta should, but it ain't getting one soon. To say there is no congestion here though, it utterly ludicrous.

And Asher, how can you support a study that ranks Ottawa above Calgary?

Asher · March 3, 2003, 17:24

I only support the environmental index.

Obviously someone forgot that Ottawa is full of politicians, which tanks their score as far as I'm concerned.

KrazyHorse · March 3, 2003, 17:24

Imran, do you really have a problem with reading comprehension? They took an objective measure of air quality through observation of levels of common air pollutants. They aren't saying that traffic congestion was something they measured to get their rating, just that the more congested a city is (not just traffic but in general) the worse air pollution will be.

DanS · March 3, 2003, 17:24

It seems it was just too much work for him to make a good career over there.

IOW, he couldn't hack the competition.

KrazyHorse · March 3, 2003, 17:25

Holy sh*t. Aren't you going to law school?

Imran Siddiqui · March 3, 2003, 17:37

Read it again:

Quote:

Thirteen of the world’s top 30 cleanest cities are in North America, mainly due to their expanse and general lack of congestion. These include Calgary (166), Honolulu (161.5), Ottawa, and Minneapolis (both 154), which feature in the top six, together with Montreal, Vancouver, Atlanta, Boston, Lexington, Pittsburgh, Portland, Washington DC, and Winston-Salem, which all score 145.5 and share 17th position.

Atlanta is included in the group that has a 'lack of congestion'. That's clear as day.

KrazyHorse · March 3, 2003, 17:39

****, Imran. Read it through again. Then go pound your head against a desk or something to dislodge whatever's blocking your thought process.

The group they listed were NA cities.

NA cities are cleaner, "mainly due to their expanse and lack of congestion".

Does this mean that every NA city which is clean has a lack of congestion?

Imran Siddiqui · March 3, 2003, 17:45

Quote:

Does this mean that every NA city which is clean has a lack of congestion?

Actually those words strongly suggest that. Those cities are the cleanest because of their expanse and lack of congestion. However, there are also other factors.

One would think the the most congested city in NA would not be included in a list that said "mainly due to their expanse and general lack of congestion". It's just foolish to do so!

It'd be like saying New York is one of the safest cities in NA 'mainly due to their lack of murders', even though NY has a high number of murders. It'd be utterly silly to say so!

KrazyHorse · March 3, 2003, 17:50

Only if New York were listed as one of a group of safe cities, most of which were there becuase of lack of murders...

KrazyHorse · March 3, 2003, 17:51

And which had a natural common denominator (like all being part of the same geographic region)

Imran Siddiqui · March 3, 2003, 17:54

It'd still be absurd.

If it was said NA cities are safer mostly due to a lack of murders, and you had a bunch of NA cities, and NY in there, it'd be ludicrous.

Btw, I showed the statement to the rest of people around her in library at school, and they all cracked up at using the phrase 'lack of congestion' and 'Atlanta' in the same sentance.

Asher · March 3, 2003, 17:58

I was not aware "mainly" meant that all cities listed had to meet that criteria.

And I also don't recall it mentioning traffic congestion, maybe it's referring to general population density? Have you also considered the possibility that maybe even though you think Atlanta's traffic congestion is bad (if that's what they were talking about), it's still nothing compared to major European cities like London?

Boris Godunov · March 3, 2003, 17:59

Quote:

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
It'd be like saying New York is one of the safest cities in NA 'mainly due to their lack of murders', even though NY has a high number of murders. It'd be utterly silly to say so!

Except that per capita, NYC does have a low murder rate. You have to factor in the relative size of the city, after all.

Frogger, I'd best not get into it with him...I can give you a link to the vegetarian thread argument I had with him...