World's Worst City to Live In...{drum roll please}

Iranian Monitor should be relieved to discover that Tehran is only the 10th worst city on the planet Earth.

 

Yet another case of Ian failing to read the whole story.

Gotta like it when one thread shits on both of the Politics Board's beloved IMs.

 

I am sure the people who participated in that "survey" or "poll" knew a lot about living conditions in Iran and weren't juding the issue by their perceptions.

Lets see who were the people who were the folks who were being "surveyed"? I bet that will also explain why Canada and Australia are so highly prized by them!

Imagine in the meantime: thousands of Iranians who had left Iran in the wake of the revolution, and who had become successful doctors, enterpreneurs, lawyers, engineers, forming the most successful immigrant communities in the US and Britain, begun returning to Iran the past decade. The story from almost who did choose to return back to Iran is the same: a trip or two to Iran after the disruptive years of revolution and war, and they were shocked by how different Iran was compared to their expectations. And how nice a place it was to actually live in, despite some (superficial) restrictions for those who are Westernized and enjoy having their gin, or scotch.

I am returning to Iran soon. I see this kind of nonsense all the time. It pains me deeply because of how false it is. Nothing I can do about it. Iran will not be "loved" in the West as long as it refused to accept Westernization as the only way to modernity and progress. And as long as refuses to bow to those who want to bring it under their control.

 

The UN is notorious for its anglophone tendencies.

You can reasonably argue Tehran shouldn't be in the worst 10 cities inthe world, after all only 127 were in the survey, but if you're going to argue that quality of life is better in Tehran than it is in Vancouver, you need help.

 

Yet the UK didn't fare very well. I have no opinion on Tehran, but I would agree about several of the Canadian and Australian cities on the list while, yes, acknowledging a certain English-speaking bias.

 

Best US cities: Pittsburgh and Cleveland at 26th. Best Middle East city: Tel Aviv at a lovely 68th place.

http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_10003512.shtml

 

It is a poll, regardless of who conducted it. It merely captures the views, informed or not, of those responding about various places. Find me the audience which was responding to this poll and tell me what they know about Iran!

 

To each his own. I am picking Tehran over what you have in the US.

I will accept the judgment of those who have visited or lived in Iran compared to other places.

 

From an economic point of view, here is how living in Tehran is presented. I guess everyone in Iran is homeless! Monthly rent for an average two bed room apartment in Tehran is twice the salary of an engineer, several times that of a teacher, a street vendor, or mid ranking civil serveant. Only members parliament in Iran earn enough to even rent an apartment. Doctors will have to pretty much fork up all their salary just for rent.

No wonder. With these kind of stats, why would anyone want to live in Tehran?

 

No doubt. Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world!

Tehran is a bustling, super modern city. It has nothing to do with any of these cities that are ranked low.

 

I could find much more flattering descriptions of Tehran, but I guess the encyclopedia might do. Everything you need to know about Tehran is in this article. Read the entire article and then talk about Tehran! This kind of bias is sick.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran

...

 

(a) No ********ING WAY is Baghdad not worse to live in than Tehran right now. No ********ing way.

(b) I notice there's no American city on the best list. Why do you approvingly quote terrorist-loving UN hippies, Ian? Huh?

 

I've never been to Tehran, but my Father has been many, many times. Says it's a nice place.

Certainly, it's got to be better than all the other places on that list, judging by the inclusion of Lagos. That's a place I have been too and it's hell on earth.

 

These are the pictures that accompany the encylopedia article on Tehran.





This picture is especially for you, asf, since the building is called "argentine building".

 

A city with 45 major universities and colleges; countless parks, musuems and cultural centers; 12 ski resorts nearby, the 4th tallest tower in the world (Milad Tower), with a highway system that would be the envy of many/most in Europe; a city with 2 international airports, the metro, numerous train stations, dozens of smaller airports, hundreds of major hospitals. Is this the Tehran they have ranked??

Tehran is a city where people from the "Paris of the Middle East", Beirut, have visited and returned home, impressed, saying that they want Iran's help to develop their country. Iran is a country well known to the leaders of today's Iraq; the guns notwithstanding, they want Iran to help reconstruct their country. When Chavez comes to Tehran, and then goes to Venezuela and tell his people: Iran has been able to develop despite US sanctions and it can help Venezuela do the same. Chavez is not talking about a city that has anything to do with the places Tehran is being ranked next to!

I wish the encyclopedia had pictures of so many other places, but here is the remainder of their pics on Tehran.

 

This is a question of livability, not which city is the most fun on $1000 a day.

 

In comparison to major US cities, it is very rare to see a homeless person in Tehran. Yet, the kind of stat used to measure cost of living in comparison to salaries in Tehran would mean practically no one in the city could rent even an apartment!

The Iranian economy cannot be measured that way; most government and salaried positions are coveted merely for the connections and free facilities to conduct other, often, private business. Indeed, much of Iran's economic activity is undeclared and on the side. If that wasn't the case, no doubt it would be hard to live in Tehran when salaries even for doctors would not be enough to pay the rent of a simple apartment. Much less the rather extravagant homes and apartments that Iranians do keep. In fact, the home -- including very exquisite furnituing and rugs even by quite average middle class folks -- is where people hold much of their investment in Iran.

 

Some of the museums in Tehran



Golestan Palace (now a museum)


Entrance to the National Museum of Iran, part of whose excellent collection on ancient Persian art and artifacts was recently on display by the British museum in their exhibit.


The Contemporary Museum of Art in Tehran, which holds the largest collection of European paintings from impressionists and since outside of Europe and N.America.

 

Getaways just out of the city

Darband

Darakeh

Sarband

 

Tehran has so many nice parks its hard to choose a few.

 

thank you for those pictures, IM.

after seeing them, i am desperate to move there. you have completely changed my mind. what a beautiful and unique place. surely it is the most developed and sophisticated city in the world. what more could you ask for??