New Study Ranks 'Most Livable' Cities
 Miryam Audiffred/El Universal/La Revista
| | Topping the list - Queretaro. |
Perhaps they are not the first names that jump to mind when one thinks of the nation's finest towns, but according to a new study, the most livable cities in Mexico are Queretaro, Monterry, Chihuahua, Saltillo and Mexico City.
The study, carried out in 2003 and 2004 by researchers at the Federal Commission for Better Regulation (Cofemer), graded cities nationwide on 38 different measures, including geographical location, strength of job market, health and education services, poverty and crime indices, public transportation, and communications infrastructure.
According Enrique Cabrero, director of the Cofemer study and current head of the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE) think tank in Mexico City, the rankings represent "a first step in identifying the cities that offer an environment with a qualified workforce, a capacity for technological and business innovation, and local governments that promote economic development."
And Cabrero says that this new study is unique in Mexico in terms of the complexity of its analysis.
"The tendency has been to create rankings such as this according to one indicator," he said. "Cities have been ranked according to categories like 'most touristed,' 'most kilometers of sidewalks,' or according to levels of crime and unemployment."
"So, while the level of pollution might be measured (in such studies), they forget that quality of life is an interdisciplinary theme that must be viewed from an economic and social perspectives," he added.
Among the categories of evaluation in the Cofemer report were those that ranked cities according to their inhabitants' average commute to work and relative ease of traffic flow. The study's sixth- to eighth-place finishers, Mexicali, Toluca and Tijuana, all scored highly in these categories.
In terms of commercial, industrial and financial development, the top-ranked cities were Saltillo, Monclova, Monterrey, Queretaro and San Luis Potosi, while those that led the field in educational, environmental and health services were Toluca, Monterrey and Culiacan.
Top finishers in the category of employment were Chihuahua, Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, Cancun, Monterrey and Saltillo. The cities ranked highest for the existence of laws and institutions that assist in the development of personal projects, such as small businesses or community organizations, were Los Cabos, Tampico, Querétaro, Mexico City and Mexicali. |
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News Around the Republic of Mexico | September 2005 
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