AQOLI: The 'Airport Quality Of Life Index'

"Recently I did a three-city tour in 48 hours (Tokyo, New York and London) and came up with a new and far less complicated formula for judging a city's livability, attractiveness and general quality of life. Where traditional indexes look at education costs, the price of a business meal for two, rental rates for a house in a leafy suburb, the price of cabs and public transport and the cost of filling a grocery cart, my new formula only requires that an inspector (in this case me) fly into and out of a city's major airport. Chances are, if a city can get its aviation hub right, then everything else falls into place."

"Singapore's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, has been thinking along these lines for decades and has used Changi Airport as global shorthand for his city-state's brisk, if slightly dull, efficiency. Last month he announced his ambition to push his country to the top of international league tables by focusing on the softer sides of urban life and planning — during his Chinese New Year speech he managed to mention the importance of alfresco dining three times. He also made clear his intention to turn Singapore into a serious tropical player to rival London or New York. Singapore's hub is a perfect barometer of how the AQOLI (airport quality of life index) works. Using a series of basic measures found in or around an airport, all is revealed about the city/ country in question."