"If you do your most important job well, it is easier to go through a catastrophe"

This principle in governance is also evidenced by how cities go through the pandemic. It is also one of the defining criteria in the ranking of the magazine "Monocle" for the most pleasant places to live. Another principle is that well-run cities solve their current problems with a vision for a better future.

Usual factors such as quality services, lots of greenery and strong leaders in management are not enough this time. What is the benefit of the current assessment of how many new companies have registered in the city or how many museums and galleries are in a world where they have been partially or completely closed for more than a year?

The authors trace for 2021 which mayor has reduced his salary as an incentive to cut budget spending in the administration or which municipal council has quickly launched a business support program, people have kept their jobs and in the months after the blockades the economy has recovered quickly.

Not everything is a pandemic in the Index of the most pleasant to live in cities 2021. Investments in projects that will change the quality of life for years to come, development of programs to attract foreign talent (when the borders open) and balancing in a new way interests between local people and tourists (when they return).

Here are the top 10:

1. Copenhagen

2. Zurich

3. Helsinki

4. Stockholm

5. Tokyo

6. Vienna

7. Lisbon

8. Auckland

9. Taipei

10. Sydney

Seoul and Vancouver follow, and it is noteworthy that half of the top ten cities have a population of less than 1 million people.

Why are the listed cities awarded?

Copenhagen, for example, is at the forefront of managing and organizing life with society in mind - a city where children can run anywhere, accessible to lower-income people, public transport is efficient, air quality is good and water the bay is so clean that you can swim in it. The capital is also an example of how Denmark is going through the pandemic: business aid, free tests and the result comes after 15 minutes on your phone, which is why restaurants, theaters, etc. were opened relatively soon.

Zurich, which is at the forefront of other similar rankings, used the time to develop the municipality's first structural plan to preserve the quality of life in the next 20 years through an appropriate density of construction, landscaping and public buildings. Typically Swiss, all this will go through a local referendum. And residents seem to approve, because they immediately liked the planned doubling of the parks (new 104 are planned) and the addition of 100 km of bike lanes (and the inclusion of an unused tunnel under the central station). And they will probably ask for a more liberal trade policy, because at the moment the shops are allowed to work only 4 weeks a year, and after the difficult 2020 the business has a lot to catch up.

Helsinki is also regularly listed among the best places to live, but what is different this time? The focus of the municipality is not only on the security of residents and businesses, but also on preserving the quality of life in a pandemic. How? For example, with the erection of a special terrace with 500 seats for restaurants and bars in the center, as well as a more liberal regime for the work of those with outdoor tables. In addition - a marketing campaign to promote these places among the population to compensate for the disappearance of tourists from abroad. After this initial push, new restaurants, galleries, bookstores opened ... Probably the next stage will be the construction of more open spaces for performing arts and cinema.

Anti-epidemic measures, vaccinations and limited travel outside such cities have played a role in their rapid return to normal life. But also the locals rediscovered them and began to love them - again or in a different way. Authorities left them "vents" in the most difficult months, such as working bookstores or outdoor cafes.

/Dnevnik

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!