The latest edition of the universally-recognised index for the quality of living has just been published. And, once again, we are pleased to see many bicycle-friendly cities on top of the list.

Assessing the overall liveability of a city is not an easy task, as the factors contributing to a “good life” are so many and so diverse. Mercer is currently the leading provider of data on quality of living for employees sent to work abroad, and its Quality of Living City Ranking is a valuable (and valued) publication. Climate, ease of communications, and physical remoteness affect the success of a foreign assignment and good mobility conditions are always key for a good quality life.

(Un)surprisingly, the Top 10 of the most liveable cities in the world features several members of the Cities and Regions for Cyclists (CRfC) network and Velo-city hosts. Clearly, cycling does make a difference when choosing a best place to live in!

1. Vienna (AT), member of CRfC and Velo-city host in 2013
2. Zürich (CH)
3. Auckland (NZ)
4. Munich (DE), member of CRfC
5. Vancouver (CA), Velo-city host in 2012
6. Düsseldorf (DE)
7. Frankfurt (DE)
8. Geneva (CH)
9. Copenhagen (DK), member of CRfC and Velo-city host in 2010
10. Basel (CH), member of CRfC

Vienna, that has been investing in one of the first modern and integrated bike sharing systems in Europe, was also recently announced as the winner of the European Mobility Week Award 2017. As Maria Vassilakou, Vice-Mayor of Vienna, stated:

“The City of Vienna is fully committed to the expansion of cycling in Vienna. It is planned that by 2025 80% of all every day trips will be made by environmentally friendly modes of transport – either by bicycle or on foot or by using public transport. This is a target that can only be achieved if there is a continued and strong increase in cycling”

Munich, with a bicycle modal share of 17%, is usually praised as one of the best cities in the world to cycle. As reported by Wired, the city “has built more cycling infrastructure than any city in Germany over the past few years. That includes good signage to help people navigate, and plans for 14 bicycle superhighways to encourage people to cycle to the city from farther out”. By participating in European research projects like the FLOW project on reducing congestion through walking and cycling measures, the city also makes sure to stay on the forefront of sustainable mobility innovation in Europe.

In Copenhagen, bicycles are the mode of transport of choice for 62% of the commuters, accounting for more than all other transportations combined. A total of 1.4 million km is cycled in the city on an average weekday, contributing to reduce congestion, improve air quality, keep citizens healthy and the public space liveable.

With over 300km of cycling infrastructure and the strong view that “People travelling on foot and bike are more likely to engage in a friendly interaction during their trip than people travelling by transit or vehicle”, Vancouver is betting heavy on bicycles to improve the quality of life of its citizens. Mayor Gregor Robertson told ECF that “Vancouver is proud of its excellent transit system, a bike network that's growing in scope and safety, and a variety of very walkable, livable neighbourhoods. Our goal is for over 50% of residents to walk, bike, or ride transit as their primary transportation mode by 2020”.

The city-canton of Basel in Switzerland has adopted a new Masterplan for cycling in 2017 under the title “By bike for more quality of life”. In order to keep its status as the city with the highest cycling levels in the country, Basel wants to include measures improving cycling in all road infrastructure maintenance works, create a complete network of safe and attractive cycle routes, and invest in high-quality bicycle parking.

And finally, we’d like to mention the Dutch city of Nijmegen, member of the Cities and Regions for Cyclists network and host of Velo-city 2017 – the most successful Velo-city ever (so far!). Together with Arnhem, they invested in one of the best cycle highways existing, they have a beautiful network of protected cycle lanes covering the whole city and one of the biggest bicycle parking facility in the Netherlands. Earlier this year, Nijmegen has been nominated Green Capital 2018 by the European Commission.

These examples clearly show that cities who invest in cycling and make active mobility a priority in designating public space are very attractive places to live and work because of the high quality of life they offer.

If you want to know more about how cities can improve their cycling policies or about the Cities and Regions for Cyclists network, please do not hesitate to contact us.​