What would 8,500 people in 14 major cities on five continents say about the places they live?  That’s what French-based Veolia Environnement set out to learn when they commissioned a first-of-its-kind survey that was released July 29.

Here’s what they learned:

People value cities for the things that often get overlooked – the convenience of city living, the ability to enjoy sporting and cultural activities, the cultural dynamism of cities and the possibilities for going out and having fun.  Americans, especially, like the diversity of people found in cities.

But people dislike traffic jams, pollution, noise, dirtiness and poor management of public services.  They also complained about crowds, lack of safety, public transportation problems, stress and anonymity.

Some of these drawbacks, of course, are just part of city life.   It’s hard to have cultural dynamism without crowds.  And with crowds come some inconvenience.
Plus, when asked what I dislike about my city, I’m going to find something to complain about.

But this survey is valuable to urban policymakers everywhere as they make tough choices about where and how to invest in their community’s success.

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