Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler.
The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city.
Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at 53 percent, followed by San Antonio, Texas, (53 percent) and San Diego, California, (50 percent).
“While the decision to move to a new city is often driven by practical needs — like affordability, safety and healthcare — choosing to stay is shaped by much more intangible factors,” Gensler said in a report released on June 17.
“It’s not enough to build economic infrastructure,” it said. “A city becomes home when it inspires pride, offers moments of joy and fosters a true sense of belonging.”
Josh Edbrooke, a British music fan who has lived in Taiwan for a decade, on Friday said that he enjoys Taipei’s music scene, as it is easy to see independent bands and keep up with music news.
“I have been to Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul and I found the pace of life there faster, while it is slower and more flexible in Taipei,” said Tim Smith, an American.
Taipei scored above the global average in all eight key indicators in the survey: economic strength (73 percent), peace and stability (78 percent), vibrancy (76 percent), climate preparedness (69 percent), improving quality of life (71 percent), investing in neighborhoods (70 percent), addressing homelessness (60 percent) and reducing crime (71 percent).
The staying power of cities reflected respondents’ likelihood of leaving their homes. Taipei and Ho Chi Minh City were nearly tied for the lowest average likelihood of leaving, followed by Shanghai, Singapore and Riyadh.
Gensler’s analysis found that respondents in the Asia-Pacific region were the least likely to leave their city, at 29 percent.
However, Taipei did not lead in resident satisfaction, ranking 14th, with 80 percent of respondents saying they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied.”
Shanghai topped the category at 94 percent, followed by Abu Dhabi and Mumbai, India (both 92 percent); Dubai, United Arab Emirates (91 percent); and Delhi and Bangalore, India (both 90 percent).
Athens had the lowest satisfaction rate, with 44 percent of respondents saying they were satisfied.
The survey was first conducted in the spring of 2020 with only four cities. It was conducted twice a year until 2022, before switching to an annual format in 2023.
This year was the first time Taipei was included.
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