Latest European report reveals Cluj-Napoca as a good city to live in! According to The Report on the quality of life in European cities, 2023 published this month, Cluj-Napoca is one of those cities in the European Union where people are satisfied to live, feel safe, can easily find a job, engage in a rich cultural life and hope for support in case of need. It also reveals a growing green space base, people re-embracing public transportation and citizens that collaborate effectively with the city’s local public administration.
In this report, Cluj-Napoca falls in the category of cities between 250 000 and 500 000 inhabitants. This category includes the following: Belfast, Białystok, Bologna, Bratislava, Cardiff, Cluj-Napoca, Gdańsk, Geneva, Graz, Liège, Ljubljana, Malmö, Ostrava, Rennes, Skopje, Strasbourg, Tallinn, Valletta and Verona.
Latest European Report Reveals Cluj-Napoca as a Good City to Live In
Satisfaction with living in the city: Cluj-Napoca in the Top 10 cities in Europe
According to the European Commission – DG Regional and Urban Policy, Survey on the Quality of Life in European Cities, 2023, Cluj-Napoca is in the Top 10 cities where people are satisfied to live in. The most satisfying city to live in is perceived to be Zurich (with a 97% score). Cluj-Napoca is on the 9th position with a score of 94%. But, among the 83 cities included in the survey, Białystok (PL), Gdańsk (PL) and Cluj-Napoca (RO) are ranked first, with around 60 % of residents declaring that the quality of life in their cities has increased compared to 5 years ago.
Table 1: People satisfied with living in their city
Source: European Commission / DG Regional and Urban Policy, Survey on the Quality of Life in European Cities, 2023.
Table 2: People stating that quality of life in the city has increased compared to 5 years ago
Source: European Commission / DG Regional and Urban Policy, Survey on the Quality of Life in European Cities, 2023.
Safeness and Cohesion: Cluj-Napoca stands out as a safe and trustworthy community in Romania
Safe and cohesive urban areas are essential for the development of prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable societies. This is outlined in the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development. The New Urban Agenda likewise provides a framework for sustainable urbanization and a roadmap to establish more livable, inclusive and resilient cities. In particular, it stresses that cities should ‘prioritize safe, inclusive, accessible […] and foster social cohesion, inclusion and safety in peaceful and pluralistic societies. The European Union has committed to carrying out this agenda
Source: European Commission / DG Regional and Urban Policy, Survey on the Quality of Life in European Cities, 2023.
People who feel safe and say that most people can be trusted also tend to be more satisfied with their life. Trust can help create stronger social ties, which facilitate cooperation and happiness (Glatz and Eder, 2019; Helliwell and Putnam, 2004; Rodríguez-Pose and von Berlepsch, 2014).
Ljubljana (SI), Białystok (PL), Gdańsk (PL) or Cluj-Napoca (RO) also score much higher than the eastern-Member-State cities.
Trust is the highest in EFTA and UK cities (76 %) and lowest in cities in the western Balkans (38 %) and Türkiye (54 %). Some cities deviate from these regional patterns. For example, in Diyarbakir (TR), Białystok (PL) or Cluj-Napoca(RO), at least 74 % of residents trust people, which is much higher than the average for cities in Türkiye or eastern Member States, respectively.
Vilnius (LT), Riga (LT) and Cluj-Napoca (RO) also display lower loneliness levels than the eastern-Member-State city average
Finding a Job, Earning a A Living, Getting Support: Cluj-Napoca Leads The Ranks
In Romania, the best-performing city is Cluj-Napoca (73 %) where people think it is easy to find a job. Also, Cluj-Napoca is the 2nd in the top ten cities where people find it easy to find a good job.
On the other hand, in Cluj-Napoca it became hard to find good housing at a reasonable price.
The top-performing cities are all from central, eastern and northern Member States. Receiving material help in case of need is fundamental for ensuring good living conditions and a feeling of being supported in one’s life. Having a supportive social environment can also be a preventive factor for health problems and can also enhance mental well-being (Eurostat, 2019).
Source: European Commission / DG Regional and Urban Policy, Survey on the Quality of Life in European Cities, 2023.
Moving Around in the City: Cluj-Napoca Residents Embrace Public Transportation
Indeed, eight of the top ten cities in public transport use are capital cities (Figure 31). Outside the EU, Ankara (TR) and Belgrade (RS) have the highest use of public transport. The remaining 8 in the top 10 are EU cities and include six capitals, Ostrava (CZ) and Cluj-Napoca (RO).
Culture, squares, parks and healthcare: Cluj-Napoca Delivers and Improves
Satisfaction with cultural facilities is stable and above average in cities such as Zürich (CH, 97 %), Liège (BE, 84 %), Verona (IT, 84 %), Tallinn (EE, 93 %), Luxembourg (LU, 92 %) and Cluj-Napoca (RO, 89 %).
Source: European Commission / DG Regional and Urban Policy, Survey on the Quality of Life in European Cities, 2023.
Green urban spaces play a vital role in enhancing the quality of life in cities by providing a natural environment for relaxation, social interactions and sports (Lee et al., 2015). Urban green spaces may for instance help to reduce feelings of loneliness of their residents (Astell-Burt et al., 2021). Furthermore, these spaces significantly contribute to urban cooling during hot summer months while also helping to mitigate the effects of pollution. In this context, one of the objectives outlined in UN sustainable development goal 11 is to ensure universal accessibility to safe and inclusive green and public spaces, ‘offering opportunities to enrich health and the quality of life for all people living in cities’ (Daniel, 2015).
Compared with the results of the 2019 survey, the largest increase in satisfaction can be observed in Bratislava (SK, 13 pp), Ankara (TR, 6 pp), Diyarbakir (TR, 5 pp), Lisbon (PT, 5 pp) and Cluj-Napoca (RO, 5 pp).
Healthy cities: Cluj-Napoca’s Achilles Tendon
The latest European Report reveals Cluj-Napoca as a good city to Live In yet, in terms of air quality, sound pollution and cleanness, Cluj-Napoca has still many steps to do, yet some improvement is reported in these areas.
Perceived Quality of Local Public Administration: Citizens of Cluj-Napoca Are Satisfied
Table 27: People satisfied with the time it takes to get a request solved by a city’s local public administration
About The Survey
The survey was conducted by IPSOS – on request of the European Commission Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy – between January and April 2023. It includes cities in the Member States of the European Union and cities in Albania Iceland, Montenegro, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom. The survey asks about the respondents’ satisfaction with a number of features of city life, such as inclusiveness, loneliness, employment, safety, housing, environment, transport, culture, city services and corruption. A sample of at least 839 residents was interviewed in each city, for a total of 71 153 completed interviews. For more information on the survey see: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information-sources/maps/quality-of-life_en
