Guest Posted October 13, 2002 Report Share Posted October 13, 2002 I wonder, why Bangkok is 101th.?? http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/10/04/world.cities/index.html Melbourne, Vancouver top city list Friday, October 4, 2002 Posted: 2:38 PM EDT (1838 GMT) LONDON, England (CNN) -- Melbourne and Vancouver are the best cities in the world for expatriates to live in, according to a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Both Australia and Canada fared well in the survey, with the west Australian city of Perth ranking third, and Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide tying in eighth place. Toronto and Montreal also made the top 10, while Calgary was 16th. (Full list) Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea came in last place, while the European Union was considered the best region to live just ahead of North America. Conducted by the London-based EIU -- the business information arm of the Economist Group -- the survey assessed the level of hardship for expatriates in 130 cities. It looked at 12 factors including housing, education, recreational activities and climate, rating every city on a five-point scale in each category, with five indicating extreme hardship. Melbourne weather, notorious for providing four seasons in a single day was all that prevented it from receiving a perfect score of zero. ... Middle East Regionally, the highest hardship was found in Africa and the Middle East, the report found. The European Union was the least affected by hardship, but North America was also "a good place to live." "Despite the increased fear of terrorism and high levels of violent crime in some cities, the United States and Canada have fairly low hardship ratings thanks to a highly developed infrastructure, good education and health indicators and the widespread availability of recreational activities," the survey said. The EIU report found a clear gap between west and east European cities, while hardship in Asia and Australasia also was grouped in two extremes. Compared with the low hardship ratings in Australia and also parts of Asia, the region was home to cities where expatriates encountered severe hardship, the survey found. The Pakistani port city of Karachi received the second highest hardship rating of 74, the Indian cities of New Delhi and Mumbai scored 62 and 57 respectively, while the Indonesian capital Jakarta polled a high 56 coming in 119th place. Elsewhere in Asia, Bangkok scored 45, Manila 47, Colombo 52, Hanoi 54, Ho Chi Minh 55, Phnom Penh 70 and Dhaka 71. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted October 13, 2002 Report Share Posted October 13, 2002 Pete, I assume that few board members have ever struggled down Collins St in Melbourne in either August or January. Let me paint you a picture : Its mid-August. Winter started sometime in March, and it doesnt look like ending anytime soon. Slate grey skies seem to have hung overhead for an eternity. The skyscrapers along Collins St are funneling a 30 knot gale directly into your exposed face. As you lean into the wind, you realise that there is a new factor : sleet. Advertised temperature is 5 deg Celsius , but the wind chill factor makes this a mere curiosity. Around you, a sea of black and grey suits soldiers on through the freezing wind. Skip to Jan. Its now the second week of 40 deg heat, and you are sweating heavily under your fashionable grey suit. This weather wouldnt be so bad if the sun set a little earlier and allowed the streets to cool down, but Melbournes latitude means that the sun doesnt set until after 8pm. Melbourne has a lot going for it, but dont underestimate the impact of the weather on your overall experience of the place. In Spring and Autumn, its a fantastic place. The rest of the year, you may want to rethink that rating ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 13, 2002 Report Share Posted October 13, 2002 Bangkok is 101st so expats can still tell head offfice that they really do need the hardship allowance. (never know when barfines will go up again.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli13 Posted October 14, 2002 Report Share Posted October 14, 2002 very interesting somehow my city are in top10, while where I want to live(bkk) are 101, while jakarta at 119, but wondering where it would be after oct.12 :: different strokes for different folks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Moth Posted October 15, 2002 Report Share Posted October 15, 2002 The problem I have with this type of survey is that the reader isn't given a full list of factors and scores. So, the information presented is pretty much meaningless because you don't know what the deficiencies are supposed to be. Also, the rating is done by persons who may have very different preferences/interests than the reader. There was a similar list developed by the American Association of Retired People (AARP). Because of a fairly lengthy article around the survey it was apparent that the authors felt culture (museums) and beach access were very important. Personally, I don't need museums where I live. Better to take a hoiday to a place where there are museums and theater available. Same with beaches. So, without knowing all of the categories and scores, all I knew was that the authors had different preferences than I do. I did write to the authors and asked for their raw data so that I could do my own evaluation. But, no response. It would be very helpful to see the CNN raw data but can't imagine that would be available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 15, 2002 Report Share Posted October 15, 2002 I think Melbourne and Vancouver are both out for me, as they are little different to England, my homeland. I want somewhere warmer. Perhaps I will check out Singapore (where did that come?) or Perth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadaBing Posted October 15, 2002 Report Share Posted October 15, 2002 Lucky for me that I didnt make that move to Kabul , hell , it didnt even get a mention.... Detroit at #54 , now who in their right mind wouldn't want to live in Detroit ? :: Badastayingputin39CBing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted October 16, 2002 Report Share Posted October 16, 2002 smeg, You want WARMER ? Come to BrisVegas - we'll give you enough warmth to fry eggs in the midday sun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted October 21, 2002 Report Share Posted October 21, 2002 Thwe panel might like to re-examine Melbourne's criminal record when assigning the rankings. In addition to the usual armed robberies and drug-related killings, Melbourne has produced some truly scary lone gunmen, the latest striking at Monash Uni earlier today : Uni Shootings Even Sydney (one crazy town...) doesnt seem to drive people to these extremes. In an unfortunate twist, a relative of one of the injured told reporters that 'the gunman was due to give a presentation'. It seems that he held the attention of everyone in the room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 21, 2002 Report Share Posted October 21, 2002 People in Melbourne are well dressed but weird, the weather sucks & the girls are generally uglier than Sydney or Brisvegas, there's my generalisations for the day. I know sweet fuck all about Calgary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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