According to international studies, Paphos ranks first in quality of life.
Because what matters isn’t how much concrete you pour on the ground or how high you raise it towards the sky. It’s other things that count.
Being able to have shelter, feel secure, move relatively easily through the streets without needing tranquillisers to endure the ordeal, breathe clean air, see (when there’s no dust and humidity) the blue of the sky and the stars at night, still experience the sense of living in a neighbourhood, be surrounded by greenery, see the colours of each season, recognise the places you move through by having signs and references.
And so, according to a study by the Numbeo platform, Limassol comes third after Paphos and Nicosia.
The criteria were purchasing power, safety, health, climate, cost of living, the ratio of property price to income, the commuting time index, pollution, and ultimately the quality of life.
Nevertheless, in a small place like Cyprus, things don’t differ that much.
And because the same people are pulling the strings, what Limassol has lost is in danger of being lost by the other cities, to the detriment of their inhabitants. Multistory buildings are already sprouting up in other cities.
Without occupants, without life, without other facilities that would provide some balance to the landscape as it is formed.
Moving on the streets now requires almost constant irritation everywhere, and finding parking spaces in the centre is becoming a treasure hunt. Urban transport has been a topic of discussion for years.
In the summers, the cities boil due to concrete, and in winter, they drown with the first showers.
However, if one were to watch the campaign videos of those mayors seeking reelection, one would think they live elsewhere, along with their communication experts, while we live somewhere else. They pose not in front of the concrete poured with their permission, but in picturesque streets and green patches that have only remained thanks to citizens’ struggles.
So, they know what gives value to cities. It’s not the tall buildings or the cement parks. It’s not the multiple lanes on the streets and the stagnant cars. It’s not the projects that cost tens of millions. It’s not all that is promoted as development. It is, in many ways, what we had and did not take care to protect and strengthen.
