IT’S nice to see that the most Nicosians are happy living in the capital, according to a European survey released this week.
One suspects they weren’t questioned during the current suffocating heat wave, when many may be dreaming of sea breezes, mountain chill, or – dare one say it – even northern European drizzle. In this heat, the capital can seem brutal for anyone unfortunate enough to be stranded on its streets, squinting through the heat haze and dust from its untended roadsides and endless building sites, cooked by the blast of heat from every passing car, from whirring air conditioners and from its many modern buildings of metal and glass.
Overall, however, Nicosia was considered safe, green, cosmopolitan, a place where it was easy to find work and generally pleasant to live.
Much of this is true, but perhaps we’re also easy to please. From a psychological standpoint this is undoubtedly a good thing. The person who is pleased with very little is invariably a much happier individual than the one who is never satisfied. But this does not mean we should not expect more from our capital city. Nicosia is a lovely place to live, but it could be much, much better. In fact, with a little effort, it could be a heavenly oasis in that hellish dust bowl of our island’s central plain.
So here are a few suggestions. Yes, Nicosia is green, you realise just how green when you visit other cities in Cyprus, but planting trees on pavements is not enough. London and Paris are full of parks and that is what makes them great cities. Nicosia needs large green, public spaces full of trees, mystery and shade. As the city expands, such areas should be built in to urban planning to allow the city’s neighbourhoods to breathe.
Nicosia needs public transport – desperately. It needs an alternative to the car that is polluting and heating our city, that is making us stressed as we crawl through traffic jams. With clean, efficient trams or buses, our lives would be transformed. Not only would it take cars off the road, it would give us the sense of community that comes from observing the diversity of our city through sharing public spaces with our fellow citizens.
Old Nicosia is a neglected jewel. It needs to be freed from the shackles of the soul crushing bureaucracy that currently strangles anyone trying to renovate the urban fabric. It needs to be entirely pedestrianised, apart from regular shuttle buses and reserved parking areas for residents. And it needs to be cleared of cabarets and sleazy pubs. You cannot on the one hand demand museum restoration standards from individuals wanting to move in while on the same street allowing an open flesh trade.
Nicosia is a lovely city, but just imagine what it could be…
