Residents more satisfied than many of those living in Paris, Rome and other major cities, according to the European Commission
CARDIFF is the best city in Europe to live for young families and immigrants, according to the European Commission.
Its recent report showed that over 90% of people were satisfied with living in the city.
The Commission surveyed at least 839 residents in each of the 83 cities in 36 European countries, asking questions on safety, jobs, transport, culture, health, and quality of local administration.
A total of 96% of those surveyed in Cardiff agreed that the city was a good place for families and young people to live – beating the likes of Oulu in Finland, Braga in Portugal, and Leipzig, Germany, who all scored 95%, to the top spot.
This comes after Cardiff became in October the first city in the UK to be awarded “child-friendly” status by UNICEF, largely because of its Child Friendly Strategy.
This aims to break down barriers which may limit the life chances of children and young people. Since April 2019, more than 42,000 children and young people have used the service.
Cardiff was also named as the best city for immigrants from other countries. A total of 95% of those surveyed said that Cardiff was a good place for immigrants, far exceeding second-placed Lisbon on 90%. By contrast, in Rome and Paris just 54% believe their city is a good place for immigrants.
The city also featured in the top 10 European cities for LGBTQIA+ people to live in – 93% of those surveyed agreed. Zürich, Switzerland, ranked number 1 with 96%.
However, the survey also revealed that Cardiff was third most car-dependent city in the UK, and one of the most dependent in Europe. On a typical day, 58% of people from Cardiff use their car. Only people in Manchester and the Tyneside metropolitan area are more reliant on their cars, and Cardiff is the ninth most car-reliant city in Europe, according to the survey.
Cardiff also had the lowest level of public transport use and walking in the UK.
Leader of Cardiff Council, Councillor Huw Thomas said: “We recognise that public transport options across the city need to improve if we are to encourage people out of their cars.”
“We need to find a way of funding the required public transport improvements.”
- You can read the full report by following this link.
