In the light of our PerfectCity Charter and the poll on City Architecture, we would like to go to detail on another factor. After having brought articles on City History and Architectural Styles, we are focussing on Visual Excitement. Visual Excitement is the feeling that people get when they see beautiful or interesting buildings. This maybe because of the scale of the building (as in it is just huge) or it may be because it is very intricate design that leaves a person in awe as to how it was built.

So, we were looking for a ranking of the most beautiful cities of the world. If a city is beautiful, it must be visually exciting! But we did not find a representative survey or a ranking. What we found were statements of people with different opinions: some named Sydney or Paris to be the most beautiful cities of the world, other named Vancouver, Isfahan, Hamburg, New York, Cape Town…

What we find too, were country-specific rankings of beautiful cities and we like to present them to you.

The German architecture portal Detail published a ranking of architecturally beautiful cities. In a study of the building industry market researcher BauInfoConsult more than 250 architects and constructors were asked about the most beautiful city of Germany in terms of architectural standpoints. The results show Berlin first followed by Dresden and Hamburg. On position four and five we can find Munich and Leipzig.

Another study we found is focussing on China. According to study by the China Institute of City Competitiveness, Beijing is the most beautiful city in China and Hong Kong second most beautiful. The assessment took into consideration the cities’ urban design, infrastructure, architecture, culture and natural beauty. Factors including the preservation of historical monuments, forest coverage, air quality, the transportation network, city life, public space and GDP were also considered. A reason for the Chinese capital being in the first position could be its impressive historical monuments and tourist attractions. Gui Qiangfang, the institute’s chairman, said: "The capital has a rich history and culture, which have been key to its development."

What do you think about the rankings? What is the most beautiful city of the world for you? If you find other country specific rankings please let us know!

We look forward to your comments and opinions!

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