Day Seventy-Two: modern city living

I found this feature in The Independent newspaper (UK) a very interesting read. It details an assessment of the world's cities, using a range of measurable criteria such as the number of major tourist sites, UNESCO heritage sites, flights into the city, 'ethnic' restaurants etc. It's good news for Londoners - London narrowly pipped New York to top spot in the rankings. (Though I suspect if cost of living had been a factor, New York would have soared above London, given the current dollar exchange rate!) It's also a great read - lots of detail on different cities around the world, from Tokyo to Johannesburg. More importantly, it shows improvements in the quality of urban living in general - and given the world's seemingly inevitable drift towards urbanization this has to be welcome. Many of the cities described in The Independent were once dirty, smog-covered and crime-ridden - London is one example. Some are still heavily burdened with such problems. But the fact that so many cities have evolved into cultural and culinary capitals, with well-kept public spaces, shows that cities can become great places to live - as local incomes improve and with appropriate public and private investment. Makes you wonder what the world's big cities will look like in 20 or 50 years' time, doesn't it?