Rethinking Liveability: Let’s challenge the Western Metrics of a Good Life
Liveability According to Whom?
Every year, glossy global reports tell us where we should want to live. Vienna, Zurich, Toronto, Copenhagen — these cities regularly top lists of “most liveable places on Earth.” But one can’t help but wonder: Liveable for whom?
Western institutions — from The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index to Mercer’s Quality of Living report — rely on a limited set of criteria: infrastructure, healthcare, education, stability, and environment. But in doing so, they overlook what makes a city feel like home: things like belonging, cultural familiarity, faith, food, and community — things that can’t be measured by public transport timetables or GDP.
For members of the diaspora and others who live between worlds, those missing pieces are often the most vital.
What the Rankings Don’t Measure — But Should
To many, liveability isn’t defined by walkability or work-life balance. It’s about walking into a room and seeing people who look like you. Hearing your language. Finding your spice in the grocery store without searching three neighborhoods. Going to a mosque or church and being surrounded by people who understand not just your rituals, but your reasons.
These are some of the lived realities that don’t show up in Western metrics, but deeply affect one’s mental health, self-esteem, and sense of safety.
Let’s consider just a few of these invisible factors:
Cultural continuity: Diaspora communities often crave reconnection with the cultural fabric they were raised with. Western cities rarely support this in public life.
Faith spaces and spiritual resonance: While places like Vienna and Toronto pride themselves on tolerance, that’s not the same as belonging. Nairobi, by contrast, integrates faith into daily life.
Informal joy: Street food, impromptu dance, intergenerational storytelling — activities that feel alive. In many "highly ranked" cities, life is hyper-regulated. But structure isn’t always nourishing.
Community over individualism: In Nairobi, it’s common to greet people on the street, help a neighbor, or rely on a broader kinship system. In contrast, many Western cities prize privacy and self-sufficiency to the point of isolation.
Why Nairobi Feels Like Home
Nairobi is not trying to be the next Paris. It doesn’t have to. What it offers is something entirely different — and perhaps more human.
As told in the MAKAANI interview with Karim, a Canadian with Somali roots who relocated from Toronto to Nairobi, the decision was life-changing: “The pace, the food, the community — I didn’t even know how much I was missing until I moved.”
Nairobi delivers in ways that Western cities simply can’t:
Access to community: Whether you’re from the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, or elsewhere on the continent, Nairobi hosts a mosaic of cultures that coexist and celebrate together.
Entrepreneurial freedom: The city has a “yes” energy. Unlike in Western cities, where red tape slows dreams, Nairobi encourages people to start, fail, and try again.
Faith woven into daily life: With a strong presence of both Islamic and Christian communities, faith is not marginal — it’s honored.
Nature within reach: Nairobi National Park is just a drive away, and outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and safaris are accessible — not elite pastimes.
Collective conscience: From the “Adopt a Street” campaigns to community-led waste collection efforts like Taka Taka ni Mali, Nairobians are actively shaping the future of their city, not waiting for top-down governance to fix it.
Modern, Tech-Savvy, and Proudly African
Let’s bust another myth: that cities like Nairobi are lagging behind. Nairobi is one of Africa’s most advanced cities, especially when it comes to digital infrastructure.
Mobile banking innovation: The global success of M-PESA, a mobile money transfer service launched in Kenya, is now a model being studied and replicated around the world.
Vibrant startup ecosystem: Nairobi is the beating heart of East Africa’s tech boom. With its “Silicon Savannah,” the city is now a hub for innovation, investment, and ideas.
Youth-led cultural revival: From music and fashion to architecture and wellness, Nairobi’s creatives are bringing African identity to the global stage.
So, What Makes a City Truly Liveable?
Perhaps it’s time we shift the question entirely. Instead of asking “Where are the best cities?” — we might ask, “What makes a city worth living in for me?”
A truly liveable city is one where you feel like you belong. Where your values are shared. Where your identity isn’t something you need to explain or defend. Where joy is ordinary. Where living doesn’t feel like surviving.
For many in the diaspora, Nairobi checks boxes that Western cities never even thought to draw.
And maybe, just maybe, the next time someone publishes a list of “top liveable cities,” it’ll come with a caveat: these rankings don’t tell the whole story.
Because home isn’t something you measure. It’s something you feel.
At MAKAANI, we’re building a new narrative — and a new kind of city list. Soon, we’ll be introducing MAKAANI Cities: places like Nairobi, Rio, and Cape Town that embody what we stand for — identity, soul, and substance. Stay tuned for curated guides that highlight these cities through a different lens — one rooted in experience, not expectation.