Can we apply what makes a great city/country to the individual level?

I had this thought in Melbourne. I think from visiting the marvellous State Library of Victoria and the National Gallery of Victoria. Melbourne is regularly voted one of the most liveable cities in the world, and I thought what if we could take the elements that make Melbourne (and other great cities) and apply that at the micro-level, the individual level. So here’s a stab at what makes a great city:

A great city has:

• Superb art galleries
• Excellent libraries
• Magnificent parks
• Great architecture
• Good schools and great universities
• Bustling markets full of great produce
• Strong sense of culture and identity
• Food that you would travel for
• Wonderful music performances
• Quiet spaces
• Proximity to water
• World class sports teams

What about what makes a great country? There’s going to be a lot of overlap from the list above. But here’s some other factors I can think of:

• Strong defence capability
• Strong diplomatic ability
• Willingness to help other countries and do its bit for the world
• Investment in art and sciences
• Commitment to R&D
• Great infrastructure 
• Commitment to production over consumption 
• A desire to be great
• Great universities
• Looks after its weak
• Open not closed worldview

Let’s take each list above and try to fashion some ideas about how to apply this to the individual level.

A great city has:

• Superb art galleries
  • Can we have more art in our homes? Yes. 
  • What should that art be? Reproductions of great works
  • Have more art books in our homes
• Excellent libraries
  • Can we build great libraries in our homes? Yes. What could you do with 1,000 books? That’s a great library and probably two or three full walls of books.
• Magnificent parks
  • Maybe a full and rich garden? Or live near a good park? Or if you’re in an apartment like me, then maybe a decent selection of house plants in every room
• Great architecture
  • Ideally live in an area with magnificent buildings around you
  • Photos of great buildings on your wall
• Good schools and great universities
  • Take regular courses online from great universities – a lot of these are free now
• Bustling markets full of great produce
  • Go to markets regularly and soak in the produce
  • If you can’t get to a market like the Victoria Markets in Melbourne or Borough Market, then go to a decent supermarket and go to the fresh food section and the deli counter
• Strong sense of culture and identity
  • Who are you? Are you a culture vulture, a cross-fitter, a music obsessive, a vegan, a minimalist, a maximalist, a right-winger, a traditionalist? Whoever you are, own it. 
• Food that you would travel for
  • Brunch in Australia is excellent, pizza in Italy is excellent, iberico ham in Spain is excellent. You can’t always get out there, so see what you can do at home. These days, it’s pretty easy to get good butter, good meat, great vegetables, nourishing bread. Try and knock up the best dishes you can at home. It doesn’t need to take ages or be lots of work. It could be as simple as putting great produce together on a plate. 
• Wonderful music performances
  • We can’t always get to the opera but we can stream great music at the touch of a button. Get decent speakers and decent headphones and play the greats
• Quiet spaces
  • We all need some peace to recharge. If you live on a busy road, or have noisy neighbours, then maybe you could put on some noise-cancelling headphones or even put in some inexpensive earplugs
• Proximity to water
  • Great cities tend to be near water. Think Sydney on the coast, or Paris with the Seine. How often can you get to see big water like lakes, rivers, and the sea? I’m lucky enough to live near the Thames, but I don’t make the effort to see the water as often as I should do.
• World class sports teams
  • Play more sport
  • Follow your local team or adopt a good one that appeals to you

A great country has:

• Strong defence capability
  • How secure is your house? Your job? Your assets and your money? How well can you defend yourself from violence?
• Strong diplomatic ability
  • How well do you get what you want from other people?
• Willingness to help other countries and do its bit for the world
  • Help out your neighbours? Support local events?
• Investment in art and sciences
  • How much of your paycheck can you commit to developing your artistic and scientific knowledge? Through books, magazines, courses etc?
• Commitment to R&D
  • What is R&D? At its simplest, I think it’s seeking out new ways of doing things. This could be new ways of living, new ways of thinking. There’s no way that we’re living as optimally as we can be. We’re often just happy with the status quo as it’s comfortable. Committing to R&D need not be expensive. It could also be commitment to taking the time to do it. 
• Great infrastructure 
  • A great country has excellent roads, bridges, energy supply etc. What about something as simple as installing great wifi in our houses? Efficient heating and water supply? 
• Commitment to production over consumption 
  • A great country has to produce something. It’s the same surely in the individual. Grow vegetables, build things, craft something, write something. We can all produce something. 
• A desire to be great
  • Seek some glory. Achieve some feats. Do something noteworthy.
• Great universities
  • Can you read challenging works? Debate in clubs? Design a syllabus for yourself?
• Looks after its weak
  • Help the homeless? Give to charity? Sympathise with those less fortunate instead of judging them?
• Open not closed worldview
  • Do you travel? Read foreign newspapers? Know what’s going on in Central Asia and Africa?

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.