Joburg scores in global ‘inspirational city’ index
Johannesburg has been named the second most inspiring city in the world in the 2014 GOOD Cities Index – leading all South African cities in the title.
According to Good Magazine, an inspiring city is a hub for progress, engages its citizenry, has a vibrant street life, flourishes during crises and has high connectivity, diversity and a good work/life balance in sync with nature.
In its 2014 rankings, Hong Kong came out as the top “inspirational” city in the world, followed by African leader, Joburg.
Hong Kong was ranked top for seeing massive protest action from its citizenry through the “Occupy Central” movement, which impacted all people from all backgrounds in the city, drawing many closer together under one banner.
The only other South African city to feature in the top 50 cities ranking is Cape Town, which ranked 25th .
Other African cities listed on the index include Nairobi in Kenya (5th), Accra, Ghana (29th), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (35th), Maputo, Mozambique (43rd) and Kampala, Uganda (49th).
Good highlights where Joburg excels in the index’s categories, noting many inner-city developments and initiatives that push progress and social diversity.
Notably, the magazine lauded the creative use of barn owls to solve a rat problem in Alexandria as one of the city’s defining moments (despite a few “hiccups” in the plan).
“The city gives those who give it the time of day a chance to step in and own a small pocket of something—an idea, a space, a view, or a solution,” the group said.
“Not that there aren’t many systemic problems in Joburg: crime, poverty, dubious political spending, and a lack of infrastructure and proper sanitation, just to name a few. But the city is good at finding new, sometimes unorthodox, ways to fix itself.”
The 20 most inspirational cities in the world
| # | City | Country |
| 1 | Hong Kong | China |
| 2 | Johannesburg | South Africa |
| 3 | Mexico City | Mexico |
| 4 | Delhi | India |
| 5 | Narobi | Kenya |
| 6 | Istanbul | Turkey |
| 7 | New Orleans | United States |
| 8 | Budapest | Hungary |
| 9 | Dakar | Senegal |
| 10 | Beirut | Lebanon |
| 11 | Buenos Aires | Argentina |
| 12 | Montreal | Canada |
| 13 | Belgrade | Serbia |
| 14 | Melbourne | Australia |
| 15 | Berlin | Germany |
| 16 | Santiago | Chile |
| 17 | Detroit | United States |
| 18 | Christchurch | New Zealand |
| 19 | Dubai | UAE |
| 20 | Seoul | South Korea |
See the full index here.
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