12/2/2023 0 Comments Quality of life compare cities![]() To understand whether all inhabitants can access a better quality of life and under which conditions, the OECD has developed a Better Life Index. There are two types of limits: firstly, these indicators ignore the citizen’s point of view– an argument shared with Mercer secondly, they are not indicative of the environmental and social impact of the policies conducted, or of the actual endorsement of the infrastructure made available: providing the number of roads or hospitals indicates a potential but does not state who can access them or the quality of the service provided by such infrastructure. “ There are limits to the approach based on per capita GDP and the argument of strong growth”, confirmed Aziza Akhmouch. This is the reason why the OECD has also reviewed its measurement instruments. Such adjustments tend to show that quality of life cannot be considered and measured solely in terms of international standards and without taking the local situation into account: individuals’ requirements in terms of quality of life – even for highly international workers – vary depending on their city of residence and adapt to this city. “ The use of a vehicle and its environmental impact is a concern which does not have the same importance in India as in Europe for example”. However, even in this very specific regard, Mercer has decided to add to the quantitative data conventionally used for this type of assessment, with qualitative data that can reflect lifestyle and certain local value systems: “ Mercer also takes into account subjective data, on the basis of the concerns of the inhabitants in different cities, in the weighting of its measurements”, specified Slagin Parakatil. These criteria, which measure international standards, are particularly relevant in view of Mercer’s desired objective: to give major companies a tool to calculate the hardship allowance to be allocated to their internationally-mobile employees. Such criteria have the advantage of being objective and can be measured on different scales, both spatial and temporal, and therefore comparisons can be made between 231 cities across the world. ![]() Which city has the best GDP, the best HDI, the most dynamic growth or the longest life expectancy? Which infrastructure is available in its area? The Mercer ranking, for example, is based on these criteria, explained Slagin Parakatil, principal at Mercer. There is a history of quantitative criteria. ![]() ![]() The measurement of quality of life has become an important tool in the steering and management of cities – a tool which is not quite like others due to its reliance on a certain definition, or interpretation, of what quality of life is. Behind the apparent simplicity of their rankings and their extreme clarity, which are often deftly reworked in local area marketing initiatives (“the top 10 best cities to live in”, “the 20 medium-sized cities which are reinventing quality of life”, etc.), the measurement of quality of life is a major challenge: it has direct repercussions not only on the competitiveness of the cities concerned but also on the definition of public policies. “ Measurement institutes do not agree on which measurement tool to adopt”, commented Aziza Akhmouch, Head of the Cities, Urban Policies, and Sustainable Development Division of the OECD. Can quality of life be measured? The existence of reputed rankings and assessments, such as those produced by Mercer or the OECD, point to this conclusion – as their differences indicate that each ranking uses different indicators and weightings. ![]()
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