Cultural and social centre, the lowest unemployment, the best health and social care and a high level of education and childcare. These are a few but not the only reasons which make the capital city ‘The best place for life of the year’. Prague has defended its position, the Pardubice Region has risen to the second place and the bronze goes to Pilsen. The Hradec Kralove Region missed the imaginary podium for the first time. ‘The place for life’ is a socially beneficial survey mapping the quality of life of the citizens of all regions of the Czech Republic carried out by analytic agency Datank.
The best place for life 2016? Definitely the Capital City of Prague
Life in Prague is wonderful and everybody can enjoy themselves there. For that reason, the capital once again has become the best place to live in the Czech Republic. Prague will satisfy almost everyone; from college students to lovers of culture and social life. Getting a job in Prague is much easier than in other regions, the average wage is the highest in the country, health care is at a better level than in most other regions and finally the capital city boasts a large number of associations, foundations, and public service companies.
Prague is clearly on top in all these areas and criteria. However, not everything is ideal and Prague cannot avoid problems typical of a big city, such as a high crime rate, even though the capital is guarded by the highest number of policemen in the country. Another area that makes life in our capital more difficult is the area of ecology and environment. The amount of emissions is the highest but greenery is the lowest of all regions. The positive thing, compared to last year, is the fact that Prague is trying to fight these deficiencies and jumped from the last place to fifth in environmental investments.
From left: Advisor to the President of the Pardubice Region Ludmila Navrátilová,
Mayor of the City of Prague Adriana Krnáčová, President of the Pilsen Region Josef Bernard
The Pilsen Region defended the third place
The Pilsen Region has long been one of the best places to live and thanks to very good quality results in almost all evaluated areas. This year the Pilsen Region has become one of the top three regions, defending the third place. The region deserves its status particularly thanks to high-quality working conditions and leisure time activities. People can get a job easily here, long-term unemployment is falling and salaries and wages are above average in the country. The residents have plenty of opportunities where to go out for culture and sport. Regarding sports activities, the Pilsen Region is by far the best in the entire country. People in the Pilsen Region are environment-friendly, they produce the least waste in the country. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about companies that produce an above-average amount of commercial waste. Infrastructure, however, remains the biggest problem. Up to 17 percent of people are not connected to the sewage system and the number of roads and highways is lower by 26 percent than elsewhere. In this area, the region still remains the worst in the whole country.
The final ranking of the regions for 2016
Capital City of Prague
Pardubice Region
Pilsen Region
South Bohemia Region
Hradec Králové Region
Karlovy Vary Region
Zlín Region
Liberec Region
South Moravia Region
Central Bohemia Region
Vysočina Region
Olomouc Region
Ústí Region
Moravian-Silesian Region
About the ‘Best Place for Life’ survey
The Unique project PLACE FOR LIFE compares the living conditions of the population in all regions of the Czech Republic. It evaluates their standard of living in the long term and seeks to initiate a public debate about the values that Czech citizens profess. Counties are evaluated from the perspective of dozens of criteria, which are divided into the following eight areas: ecology and environment, health and social sphere, childcare and education, working conditions and purchasing power, leisure and tourism, infrastructure development, safety, civil society and tolerance. The principle of evaluation is based on three main pillars. Objective criteria obtained from independent sources, opinions and college survey conducted among 1400 residents of all regions. Information about the project can be found on www.mistoprozivot.com or www.facebook.com/mistoprozivot.