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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Student <keyword id="19949028" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="protesters" source="keywords">protesters</keyword> have occupied Hamilton Hall at <keyword id="20020505" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Columbia-University" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Columbia University" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Columbia University">Columbia University</keyword>, according to reports.</li><li>The occupation follows <keyword id="20645185" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="columbia" source="keywords">Columbia</keyword>'s announcement it would not divest from <keyword id="19900599" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Israel" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Israel" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Israel">Israel</keyword>.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-university-pro-palestine-israel-gaza-protests-timeline-2024-4?mrfhud=true">Student protesters at Columbia University</a> have barricaded Hamilton Hall, one of the main buildings on the campus in New York City, with several reportedly inside.<br /><br />In the early hours of Tuesday morning, protesters declared they had taken over Hamilton Hall, flying a <keyword id="21268459" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Palestinian-flag" source="keywords">Palestinian flag</keyword> from the building's windows. An <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/columbia-university-president-says-negotiations-protesters-stalled-sch-rcna149755">NBC News reporter</a> said windows had been smashed, and dozens of people had entered the building.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="https://edition.cnn.com/business/live-news/university-protests-palestine-04-30-24/index.html">CNN reported</a> that about 200 student protesters had barricaded the building's entrance, with about a dozen people inside. John Towfighi, a CNN staffer and Columbia student, told the outlet there was no visible police presence.<br /><br />An NYPD spokesperson told NBC that officers were "outside the campus, not on the grounds" just before 2 a.m.<br /><br />The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/04/30/dozens-occupy-hamilton-hall-as-pro-palestinian-protests-spread-across-campus/">Columbia Spectator</a> student newspaper reported that dozens of protesters had occupied Hamilton Hall, using metal gates, tables and chairs as barricades and zip-tying doors shut.<br /><br />Columbia University Apartheid Divest issued a press release on X early on Tuesday, saying protesters would remain until the university met its demands of "<keyword id="20265224" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="divestment" source="keywords">divestment</keyword>, financial transparency, and amnesty."<br /><br />The group posted a <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ColumbiaBDS/status/1785171410115027281">video on X</a> that appeared to show student protesters forming a human chain to protect those occuping Hamilton Hall.<br /><br />Protesters who entered the building, where the dean's office is located, were reportedly heard chanting: "Disclose, divest. We will not stop, we will not rest."<br /><br />On Monday, Columbia president Nemat Minouche Shafik <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://president.columbia.edu/news/statement-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik-4-29">released a statement</a> announcing the university would not "divest from Israel." The university also ordered protesters to leave their encampment by a 2 p.m. deadline and threatened students who defied the order with suspension.<br /><br />Shafik appealed directly to Jewish students in the statement, saying: "I know that many of our Jewish students, and other students as well, have found the atmosphere intolerable in recent weeks. Many have left campus, and that is a tragedy."<br /><br />Columbia University did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours. It's told staff and students to avoid the campus on Tuesday, The New York Times reported.<br /><br />Columbia has faced unrest on campus for almost two weeks over <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-using-ai-gaza-targets-terrifying-glimpse-at-future-war-2024-4">Israel's war in Gaza. </a>The protests began on April 17, the same day Shafik <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-president-avoids-missteps-of-other-elite-colleges-2024-4">testified before Congress about antisemitism on campus</a>.<br /><br />Last week, the university began holding classes online because of the escalating protests.<br /><br />The protesters say they are peaceful, but <keyword id="21419053" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="campus-tensions" source="keywords">campus tensions</keyword> have sparked concerns in the Jewish community. Rabbi Elie Buechler wrote to Jewish students to "strongly recommend" they leave campus for their safety, CNN reported.<br /><br />The action is part of a wave of protests at a number of universities across the country in recent weeks over the Israel-Hamas war.<br /><br /><em>Correction: April 30, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the student group that issued a statement on X. It's Columbia University Apartheid Divest, not <keyword id="21494607" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Columbia-Students-for-Justice-in-Palestine" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine">Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine</keyword>. The story has also been updated to clarify that classes were moved online last week.</em><br />

Student protests at Columbia University escalate with Hamilton Hall occupation

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rapper Macklemore has released a pro-Palestine protest song called "Hind's Hall."</li><li>The song's title references the campus hall occupied by Columbia University students.</li></ul><p>Macklemore has called for a cease-fire in Gaza and condemned continuing US aid to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/military-aid-to-israel-funding-support-gaza-hamas-human-rights-2024-1">Israel</a> in his new song, "<a target="_blank" href="https://youtu.be/ITVIlr5jUMw">Hind's Hall</a>."</p><p>The song takes its name from the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-student-protests-occupied-building-gaza-israel-campus-university-2024-4">recent occupation of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University</a>, where pro-Palestine protests have been raging since mid-April.</p><p>Protesters barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall, a main campus building at Columbia, where they hung a flag declaring it Hind's Hall in tribute to Hind Rajab, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gaza-strip-hind-rajab-pleaded-rescued-found-dead-paramedics-2024-2">a six-year-old who was found dead in February alongside two paramedics sent to save her in Gaza.</a></p><p>The song has gone viral on social media with 37 million views on X, 1.7 million views on YouTube, and 2.9 million likes on Instagram.</p><p>In the opening bars of his new song, Macklemore praises college students across the US who are protesting Israel's war in Gaza.</p><p>"The people, they won't leave/ What is threatenin' about divesting and wantin' peace?/ The problem isn't the protests, it's what they're protesting/ It goes against what our country is funding/ Block the barricade until Palestine is free," the song begins.</p><p>Elsewhere on the song, the 40-year-old rapper — best known for his hits "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us" — said he would not be voting for President Joe Biden come November: "The blood is on your hands, Biden, we can see it all/ And fuck no, I'm not votin' for you in the fall."</p><p>He closes out the song by calling out the silence of his music industry peers and referencing the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/drake-kendrick-lamar-j-cole-beef-explained-2024-4">feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar</a>, which has dominated the hip-hop conversation and community in recent weeks.</p><p>"Never be defeated when freedom's on the horizon/ Yet the music industry's quiet, complicit in their platform of silence/ What happened to the artist? What do you got to say?/ If I was on a label, you could drop me today/ I'd be fine with it cause the heart fed my page/ I want a cease-fire, fuck a response from Drake," he raps</p><div type="image" title="Macklemore has been an outspoken supporter of Palestinians since last year." height="683" width="1024" msid="110041142" hostid="261" sizebytes="55988"></div><p>With the release of "Hind's Hall," the Seattle-born rapper has become one of the first artists to explicitly call out the US government's continuing aid to Israel.</p><p>Several musicians, including Macklemore, Dua Lipa, and Drake, have <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.artists4ceasefire.org/">signed an Artists 4Ceasefire letter</a> addressed to Biden.</p><p>Meanwhile, <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/annie-lennox-calls-for-ceasefire-in-gaza-sinead-oconnor-tribute-grammys-2024-1234960958/">Annie Lennox called for a cease-fire</a> while performing onstage at the Grammys in February.</p><p>Macklemore <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6o4830yMvE/">wrote on Instagram</a> that he would donate all proceeds from the song, which has received more than 1.6 million views on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgDQyFeBBIo&amp;rco=1">YouTube</a> so far, to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.</p><p>The Grammy award-winning artist is no stranger to making political statements through his music. His 2012 song "Same Love" took aim at the hip-hop industry's stance on homophobia and promoted same-sex marriage.</p>

Macklemore calls out President Joe Biden with viral pro-Palestine protest song called 'Hind's Hall'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>New York Police Department officers in riot gear entered Columbia University's Hamilton Hall.</li><li>Dozens of protesters were taken by police into busses in zip ties, The New York Times reported.</li></ul><p>New York Police Department officers in riot gear entered Columbia University's Hamilton Hall Tuesday evening, which had been occupied by protesters for roughly 20 hours, according to multiple news reports.</p><p>According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/30/nyregion/columbia-protests-college">The New York Times</a>, the NYPD entered the building using a makeshift bridge that allowed them to climb into the second-story window. CNN reported that the NYPD said it had used "distraction devices" to disperse students but denied reports that tear gas was deployed.</p><p>Dozens of protesters were taken by police into busses in zip ties, and as they were being bussed away, many chanted, "Free Palestine," the Times reported.<br /><br />The university announced later in the evening that the building had been cleared of protesters and that "heightened activity" had concluded, per the Times.</p><p>Videos from student groups on the scene show protesters being <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/NationalSJP/status/1785482293542301804">pushed off campus by police</a>. The Washington Post reported that some police entered the hall with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/04/30/columbia-university-protests-palestine-news/#link-VTS5AUCISFFCRIX7EM65MIQUOU">guns drawn</a>.</p><p>The university requested that students shelter in place before police entered the campus building.</p><p>Student groups had been demonstrating on campus for days, setting up tents and camping out at the Ivy League University to protest Israel's war on Gaza. Demands for the protest included that the university cut financial ties to Israel.</p><p>The university's $13.6 billion endowment includes investments in several weapons manufacturers and tech companies that do business with the Israeli government, which the student coalition Columbia University Apartheid Divest described as profiting "from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and military occupation of Palestine," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/27/business/columbia-history-divestment-student-protests/index.html">CNN</a> reported. <br /><br />On Tuesday, protesters entered Hamilton Hall, a humanities building on the university's Morningside Heights campus, and barricaded themselves indoors.</p><p>Columbia announced in a statement that students who occupied Hamilton Hall will face expulsion, while students who participated in encampments and refused to leave at the university's direction will face suspension.</p><p>Columbia University, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, and the NYPD did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.</p><p>Columbia released a statement Tuesday evening saying it gave the NYPD the green light to enter the campus and disperse student protesters.</p><p>"We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions," adding, "We made the decision, early in the morning, that this was a law enforcement matter, and that the NYPD were best positioned to determine and execute an appropriate response."<br /><br />The school also said the protesters had been "led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University."<strong><br /></strong><br />In a live broadcast, reporters at Columbia student news station WKCR noted that only Columbia ID holders could be on campus and questioned the university's security.</p><p>Columbia's President Minouche Shafik requested <a target="_blank" href="https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/news/letter-nypd-apr-30">in a letter</a> to the NYPD that the police maintain a presence on campus until May 17 to shut down any future encampments.<br /><br />At least two New York representatives spoke out against Columbia's decision to let NYPD forcibly remove students from Hamilton Hall.</p><p>Rep. Jamaal Bowman said he was "outraged by the level of police presence called upon nonviolent student protestors" at Columbia and The City College of New York — another New York institution with students staging a similar encampment.</p><p>"As an educator who has first hand experience with the over-policing of our schools, this is personal to me," Bowman posted on X.</p> <p>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that if students were hurt by the NYPD, the responsibility would fall on the university president and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who expressed support for ending the encampments at Columbia University.</p><p>"Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making," Ocasio-Cortez <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/AOC/status/1785476041089188198">wrote on X.</a><br /><br />Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p><h2>Mass detentions spark comparisons to previous protests</h2><p>History is repeating itself, users on X are saying after journalists pointed out that 56 years ago on this exact date, Columbia University deployed police onto the campus to disperse peaceful student protesters in Hamilton Hall.</p><p>Per an archival issue of the <a target="_blank" href="https://exhibitions.library.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/1968/bust">Columbia Daily Spectator</a> on the university's website, on Tuesday, April 30, 1968, NYPD police officers arrested over 700 people on Columbia's campus who protested against anti-Black racism and the Vietnam War.</p><p><em>This is a developing story. Check back for updates.</em></p>

Massive NYPD presence clears pro-Palestine student protesters at Columbia

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hundreds of arrests have been made at Columbia University and the City College of New York.</li><li>Pro-Palestinian protesters had barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall, a main campus building at Columbia.</li></ul><p>Three hundred people have been arrested at protests at Columbia and City College of New York, police said.</p><p>Columbia has been rocked by protests for days over <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-using-ai-gaza-targets-terrifying-glimpse-at-future-war-2024-4">Israel's war on Gaza</a> following <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hamas-goal-october-7-attack-israel-gaza-war-2023-11">Hamas' October 7 terror attack</a> on Israel.</p><p>While students and faculty have been urged not to go onto campus, the school's president, Nemat Minouche Shafik, <a target="_blank" href="https://president.columbia.edu/news/statement-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik-4-22">said</a> that "a working group of Deans, university administrators, and faculty members will try to bring this crisis to a resolution."</p><p>NYPD officials took part in a press conference on Wednesday when they confirmed the number of arrests.</p><h2>How it started</h2><p>The protests at Columbia began on Wednesday, April 17, which coincided with Shafik <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-president-avoids-missteps-of-other-elite-colleges-2024-4">testifying before Congress about antisemitism on campus</a>.</p><p>A coalition of student groups — Columbia University Apartheid Divest, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Peace — took part in setting up "Gaza Solidarity Encampments" in the center of campus.</p><p>One of the goals of the protest was to convince the university to divest all its "finances, including the endowment, from companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine," according to Columbia University Apartheid Divest's <a target="_blank" href="https://cuapartheiddivest.org/demands">website</a>.</p><h2>Police were called in</h2><p>On Thursday, April 18, Shafik authorized the New York Police Department to clear the encampment. "Attempts to resolve the situation were rejected by the students involved. As a result, NYPD officers are now on campus and the process of clearing the encampment is underway," she said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://president.columbia.edu/news/statement-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik-4-18">statement.</a></p><p>This resulted in the arrest of more than 100 people on suspicion of criminal trespass, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZaZmBqejnQ">news conference.</a></p><p>Protests have continued since then.</p><h2>President Joe Biden weighed in</h2><p>Chabad at Columbia, a group that supports Jewish students, released a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6C9idjtLiP/?img_index=1">letter on social media </a>that said Jewish students were targeted with offensive rhetoric during the protests.</p><p>President Joe Biden also called out antisemitism on campus in his <a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/21/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-passover/">Passover statement</a> in April.</p><p>"We've seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous — and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country," he said.</p><p>Columbia student organizations participating in the protests have insisted that their protests are peaceful.</p><p>One student group, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ColumbiaSJP/status/1782241294858719676">statement on X last month</a> that they are frustrated by the attention paid to "inflammatory individuals who do not represent us."</p><p>"We firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry and stand against non-students attempting to disrupt our solidarity," the statement said.</p><p>On Monday, Shafik <a target="_blank" rel="" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://president.columbia.edu/news/statement-columbia-university-president-minouche-shafik-4-29"><u>released a statement</u></a> that said the university would not "divest from Israel." The university also ordered protesters to leave their encampment by 2 p.m. on Monday and threatened students who defied the order with suspension.</p><h2><strong>Protesters took over the Hamilton Hall</strong></h2><p>In the early hours of Tuesday morning, dozens of protesters barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall, one of the main buildings on the Manhattan campus. They used metal gates, tables, and chairs as barricades and zip-tied the doors shut.</p><p>The protesters maintained their demands of "divestment, financial transparency, and amnesty," Columbia University Apartheid Divest said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ColumbiaBDS/status/1785189196141113478/photo/1">press release on X.</a></p><h2><strong>NYPD in riot gear were called to clear the protesters</strong></h2><p class="premium">On Tuesday evening, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nypd-columbia-university-students-protesters-hamilton-hall-arretsts-2024-4">NYPD officers in riot gear</a> entered Hamilton Hall, where protesters had been camping out for around 20 hours.</p><p class="premium">According to <a target="_blank" href="https://edition.cnn.com/business/live-news/university-protests-gaza-05-01-24/h_d260be942a97db513c8ccfab3fdc694c">CNN</a>, the NYPD used loud distraction devices, "flash-bang grenades" to disperse the protesters who had barricaded themselves in the building.</p><p class="premium">Shafik released a <a target="_blank" href="https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/news/letter-nypd-apr-30">letter to the NYPD</a> on Tuesday, which requested that police remain on the campus until May 17, two days after the graduation ceremony.</p><p class="premium">"The takeover of Hamilton Hall and the continued encampments raise serious safety concerns for the individuals involved and the entire community," the letter read.</p><p class="premium">The protests have spread to other campuses across the country. In Los Angeles, police were called to the UCLA campus early Wednesday after violence broke out when counter-protesters showed up to tear down barricades at the pro-Palestinian encampment, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-30/ucla-moves-to-shut-down-pro-palestinian-encampment-as-unlawful">LA Times reported.</a></p>

300 protesters arrested at Columbia University and City College of New York

<p>PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has a <a href="http://www.pwc.com/us/en/press-releases/2014/chicago-ranks-tenth-worldwide.jhtml">comprehensive new ranking</a> of 30 cities in the world that offer the widest opportunities for businesses and the people who live there.</p>
<p>PwC's sixth edition of its "<a href="http://www.pwc.com/us/en/cities-of-opportunity/2014/pdf-download.jhtml">Cities of Opportunity</a>" report <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">examined intellectual capital and innovation; technology readiness; how accessible a city is to the rest of the world; transportation and infrastructure; health, safety, and security; sustainability and the natural environment; demographics and livability; economic clout; ease of doing business; and cost.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The cities at the very top of the list are arguably the hottest in the world right now, and it's not surprising that New York and London both ranked highly. We took a closer look at the top 11 cities on the list, what got them there, and where they have room to improve.</span></p>
<h3>11. Berlin</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Markus Schreiber</span></p><p class="caption">Tourists from Asia pass a painting on the wall in an area between the districts Mitte (center) and Friedrichshain-Kreusberg in Berlin, Friday, Jan. 10, 2014.</p></div><p></p></div>This artistic hub in Germany scored particularly high for public transport and health, safety, and security. Berlin - Germany's largest city - tied for #3 for sustainability and the natural environment. It ranks #4 for demographics and livability.</p>
<p>Anybody who's ever visited Berlin knows that the massive underground transit, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_U-Bahn">known as the U-Bahn</a>, is unbelievably clean and efficient. Berlin is also a <a href="https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=13732">very safe place for tourists</a>, who can <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/germany/travel-tips-and-articles/68473">take in the city's vibrant art scene</a>.</p>
<p>More and more businesses are also attracted to Berlin these days. Just last year, The New York Times reported that the city was having a "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/08/travel/36-hours-in-berlin.html?pagewanted=1&amp;mabReward=relbias:w,[&amp;contentCollection=Homepage&amp;t=qry355%23/Berlin&amp;%2334&amp;action=click&amp;%2359;RI:12&amp;%2359;,&amp;%2359;]&amp;%2359;RI:5&amp;region=Masthead&amp;module=SearchSubmit&amp;url=http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage">coming of age moment</a>." From The Times:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">As it attempts to evolve from a city that relies heavily on government support to one with sustainable industries, companies like Google and Etsy have opened up offices, joining technology start-ups like SoundCloud and ResearchGate, giving credit to the hype that Berlin is becoming a contender for Europe's Silicon Valley.</span> </p>
<p>The PwC report noted that Berlin had risen to #12 from #16 in its last report for technology readiness, "confirming its steadily rising reputation as a high-tech hub in Europe."</p>
<h3>10. Chicago</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagogeek/8124038733">Flickr/chicagogeek</a></span></p></div><p></p></div>The Windy City of nearly 3 million people <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population">is one of the biggest cities in America</a>, and it earned high marks in the PwC study for cost, quality of life, and air quality.</p>
<p>The city also made the top 10 for ease of doing business, which means big corporations are attracted to the midwestern metropolis. Indeed, there are nearly 30 Fortune 500 companies <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-chicago-fortune-500-companies-apr15,0,2840178.photogallery">in the Chicago area</a>, including the <a href="http://www.boeing.com/boeing/">massive aircraft company Boeing</a>.</p>
<p>Chicago has a lot to offer culturally, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-chicago-became-the-deadliest-city-in-america-2012-11?op=1">it appears to have rebounded</a> from a particularly<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-chicago-became-the-deadliest-city-in-america-2012-11?op=1"> bloody crime wave</a> of the summer of 2012. Earlier this year, The New York Times published a 36-hour guide for Chicago visitors.</p>
<p>"As the temperatures fall, the city changes from a playground to a cultural promised land - a place of fine and varied food, inventive theater and one of the country's great live music scenes," The Times reported.<span class="sewa4bca9no6r6a"></span><span class="sewa4bca9no6r6a"></span></p>
<p>Unfortunately, the Windy City fell out of the top 10 in transportation and infrastructure. It's not entirely clear from the report why Chicago fared poorly in transportation, but last year<a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-11-06/news/chi-emanuel-defends-ventra-cta-rollout-despite-problems-20131106_1_ventra-cards-rollout-ventra-cta"> the city had a disastrous</a> rollout of a new fare card system for the Chicago Transit Authority system of trains and buses.</p>
<p>As for infrastructure, Chicago pledged in 2012 to invest billions to <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/chicago-banking-on-7-billion-to-fix-crumbling-infrastructure-without-washington/">fix its crumbling</a> underground water pipes, school buildings, and city buildings. Of course, big projects like that take time.</p>
<h3>9. Sydney</h3>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jeremy Piper</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Sydney's benefits are obvious: incredible weather, an abundance of beautiful beaches, and Australia's favorable "work-life balance." It consistently ranks highly in safety, friendliness, and <a href="http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/invest-in-nsw/about-nsw/quality-of-life">quality of living surveys</a>.</p>
<p class="p1">In PwC's rankings, Sydney hit #1 for both sustainability and livability. As the financial, manufacturing, and cultural hub of Australia, Sydney has a strong, thriving economy and plenty of business opportunities.</p>
<p class="p1">However, housing prices and the cost of living are, like all of Australia, very high. For reference, <a href="http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=Australia&amp;city=Sydney">rent for a 1-bedroom in Sydney costs approximately $2,100 a month</a>, while a pair of Levi Jeans will cost you $100. </p>
<p class="p1">Regular daily expenses are 16% more expensive than the world average, making it the 12<span class="s1"><sup>th</sup></span> most expensive city in the world.</p>
<h3>8. Hong Kong</h3>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninedragons/2102302032">Christopher Lance</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Despite the incredible population density of Hong Kong, the city-state ranks high in quality of life rankings and has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy">the 5th-highest life expectancy in the world</a>. The city has an exceptional public transportation system, with over 90% of daily travels occurring on public transport. </p>
<p class="p1">The Index of Economic Freedom <a href="http://www.heritage.org/index/ranking">has ranked Hong Kong's economy as #1</a>, in part because of its low taxes and sophisticated international financial market. Indeed, PwC rated Hong Kong #2 for ease of doing business.</p>
<p class="p1">Hong Kong's largest problem is, unsurprisingly, pollution and air quality, which <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-31/shanghai-warns-children-elderly-on-moderate-air-pollution.html">has gotten significantly worse in the last 20 years</a>.</p>
<h3>7. Stockholm</h3>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peteradermark/2932418088">Peter Adermark</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Stockholm is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, with both its population and new businesses ballooning over the last 15 years. One of the city's biggest innovations was creating <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=5037">a publicly owned broadband network in the mid-'90s</a>, which has developed a booming tech industry that has spawned Spotify and DICE Games.</p>
<p class="p1">"We have a very interesting mix of life science companies, information and communications technology companies, clean tech companies, and the entertainment industries," Stockholm's vice mayor for innovation, Ulla Hamilton, told PwC. "That creates an innovative climate." <span class="sewvnufjenbw0be"></span><span class="sewvnufjenbw0be"></span></p>
<p class="p1">The city is also exceptionally green. Sustainability has been a heavy focus of the city for more than 60 years, as it has worked to develop public transportation, clean water, and a heating district system that keeps pollution out of the environment.</p>
<p class="p1">Immigration has become one of Stockholm's (and all of Sweden's) biggest challenges, as the influx of asylum-seekers over the last decade <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/05/27/the-riots-in-stockholm.html">has coincided with a rise in crime</a>.</p>
<h3>6. Paris</h3>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jwhitesmith/5268479080/in/photolist-92ykhd-ftonQB-jrT9N8-ihbhc2-dqWYv4-aAGgTj-5QG5M1-cPyA3w-6Pinzb-a3Luxs-8oe2Am-i5wzWJ-8gyaBe-8DUmUX-haeRiC-h6u6tW-6P2X5W-7QDn8M-7aEGz1-64WX7f-5X4p35-4fmTZd-h98tBu-4Ngb9a-6iSoyr-nmGoda-4Vu82n-fGGrTC-o4fRo-4zimp8-a3Wv8S-bWyEW6-a3HBin-i8qfJi-4GuMmU-5X5Z99-79xs4y-cFfbvw-5HLmt9-9CaaqF-6jwnPV-8mRDkq-9pgPCU-dorob2-h94MCN-9EUuFd-iPyxWP-atbMe7-e6RR6J-dyF2sR">James Whitesmith</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Paris is highly regarded for its libraries, respected universities, and high rates of literacy and education, ranking 1<span class="s1"><sup>st</sup></span> in PwC's rankings of Intellectual Capital and Innovation.</p>
<p class="p1">Public transportation in the city is exceptional with 14 metro lines, a network of regional trains that connect the city to the suburbs, and express lanes exclusively for buses.</p>
<p class="p1">While it's certainly an interesting place to live - full of the world's best museums - <a href="http://www.thelocal.fr/20140520/paris-fall-city-rank-pricewaterhousecoopers">obscenely expensive housing, poor car traffic, and record unemployment</a> have dragged down the city in recent years.</p>
<h3>5. San Francisco</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Flickr/Jitze Couperus</span></p></div><p></p></div>Not surprisingly, the heart of Silicon Valley was one of the top 3 cities for intellectual capital and innovation. San Francisco - population 825,000, compared to 8 million in New York City - is an example of a small city with outsize economic influence, according to the PwC report.</p>
<p>Some of the world's biggest companies <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_based_in_the_San_Francisco_Bay_Area">are based in and around San Francisco</a>, and big companies like Google <a href="http://www.google.com/about/careers/locations/san-francisco/">have major outposts there</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_based_in_the_San_Francisco_Bay_Area"> </a></p>
<p>While the city got a relatively good ranking for cost (6), the city is getting more expensive. As a result, families there are fleeing for the suburbs, the PwC report notes.</p>
<p>"... [I]n places like San Francisco, Seattle, and Berlin, families are deserting the city," the report says. "As cities become more expensive and apartments smaller, the suburbs start looking better."<span class="sewbapu1c99l3xu"></span><span class="sewbapu1c99l3xu"></span></p>
<h3>4. Toronto</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>ValeStock / Shutterstock.com</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Despite Toronto's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/report-rob-fords-craziest-bender-yet-2014-5">crack-smoking mayor</a>, it has a reputation for providing an <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/15/vancouver-toronto-and-calgary-all-rank-in-top-five-on-list-of-worlds-most-liveable-cities/">excellent quality of life</a>. In the PwC report, the Canadian city made the top 3 for health, safety, and security and transportation and infrastructure; it was ranked #4 for ease of doing business.</p>
<p>The city is considered <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Toronto">one of the safest in North America</a>, and it ranked #1 in the PwC report for public transport systems. However, it ranked #13 for traffic congestion and #12 for ease of commute.</p>
<p>"Toronto's rankings in these two variables also reflect the city's current reality, in which the lack of a fully integrated regional transportation system is one of the leading challenges for Toronto," the PwC report stated.<span class="sew9f70jm7ot2hq"></span><span class="sew9f70jm7ot2hq"></span></p>
<h3>3. Singapore</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.woha.net/#PARKROYAL-on-Pickering">Patrick Bingham-Hall/WOHA</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>This sovereign city-state ranked in the top 3 for city gateway; transportation and infrastructure; and ease of doing business. Singapore made big advances in this year's edition of PwC's "Cities of Opportunity," going up 4 spots to 3rd place and dominating transportation and infrastructure.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/singapore/transport/getting-around">the Lonely Planet travel guide</a> notes, "Singapore has fantastic public transport, with a tangled web of bus and train (MRT) routes taking you to the doorsteps of most sights." It's also possible to island-hop near Singapore by <a href="http://travel.cnn.com/singapore/visit/island-hopping-around-singapore-996099">taking one of the city's many ferries</a>.<br /><span class="sewy3e8plm0jtwx"></span><span class="sewy3e8plm0jtwx"></span></p>
<p>Singapore <a href="http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Singapore-INFRASTRUCTURE-POWER-AND-COMMUNICATIONS.html">established superior infrastructure and transportation</a> when it was a British colony prior to 1963, according to the Encyclopedia of the Nations. In the '70s and '80s, the city-state reacted to increased traffic problems by investing heavily in its mass transit system.</p>
<p>While Singapore falls out of the top 10 in sustainability and the natural environment, it may do better on that front in the next PwC report. Just last month, The New York Times reported on a massive new green park in the middle of the city <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/travel/in-singapores-center-but-a-world-away.html">known as the Green Corridor</a>.</p>
<p>The park was inspired by <a href="http://www.thehighline.org/">New York's High Line</a>, but it's much bigger at 15 miles long.</p>
<h3>2. New York</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock.com / upthebanner</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>While New York City didn't finish first in any of the indicator categories, it finished strongly across the board, according to the PwC ranking. The Big Apple was the second-most desired city for relocation (right after London), and it was in the top 3 for "ease of doing business" and for "economic clout."</p>
<p>New York City is home of the two biggest stock exchanges in the world, the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ, and it's a hub for a range of industries from finance to fashion to publishing <a href="http://nycfuture.org/research/publications/new-tech-city">to technology</a>.</p>
<p>The city isn't the easiest place to live or even visit, though. The Big Apple ranked 16th for transportation and infrastructure. The PwC reported cited the city's <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/fare-toll-hikes-2015-2017-mta-chief-article-1.1407617">rising costs of public transportation</a> (specifically, the MTA) and the difficulty of finding taxicab.</p>
<p>New York also has a higher cost of living than other cities in the survey like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing. Just last month, CNN reported that it was the <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/02/travel/gallery/most-expensive-cities/">third most expensive city in the world </a>to rent an apartment.</p>
<h3>1. London</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Dan Kitwood / Getty</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>London - the world's hottest city - finished 1st in technology readiness, city gateway, and economic clout. It jumped from the 8th spot for technology readiness in PwC's last report to number 1 this time, in part because it provides internet access in many schools. The British capital is also developing its tech sector, <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2014/03/27/tech-city-nope-its-med-city-how-the-mayors-office-will-make-london-the-health-tech-capital-of-europe-exclusive/">particularly in the area of health technology</a>.</p>
<p>The British city's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airports_of_London">6 international airports</a> probably helped it ascend to the top ranking for city gateway. You can even hop on the <a href="http://www.eurostar.com/us-en?gclid=CLie3tH1ur4CFZJr7AodiksAvw">high-speed Eurostar train</a> and get from Paris to London in just a couple of hours. As the PwC report notes, "More than ever, most roads (and flights) lead to London."</p>
<p>England has been creating wealth for its citizens, and the world, for hundreds of years, the PwC report notes. Some of its citizens have more wealth than others, of course. Earlier this month, a new study of the world's wealthiest people found London <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/11/london-most-billionaires_n_5305031.html">had more billionaires than any other city</a>.</p>
<p>For people who aren't billionaires, London might be a tough place to live, as it ranked 15th in terms of cost. Cost includes cost of living and cost of business occupancy, among other factors.</p>
<p>Just Tuesday, the radio show "Marketplace" asked whether London was <a href="http://www.marketplace.org/topics/world/mind-gap/london-too-expensive-poor-londoners">becoming too expensive for poor Londoners</a>. The program noted that more foreign investors are buying up luxury apartments there.</p>
<p><span>"We're the minority of London now," one single mother told the show. "Londoners don't live in London anymore."</span></p>

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