Originally published on February 24th , 2009

Edinburgh has come out on top in a search for the best university cities in the UK.

In a review carried out by accommodationforstudents.com, 38,000 undergraduates were asked to rate the quality of five aspects of their city from one to ten:  night life, shops, transport links, community atmosphere and facilities.

Edinburgh, along with Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Newcastle, Manchester and Sheffield reached the top 10, all with 62% satisfaction.

This result follows a survey conducted by Cushman and Wakefield Real Estate Solutions in 2008 naming Edinburgh ‘Britain’s greenest city’.

Guy Bromley, EUSA Vice President of Academic Affairs, told the Student: “one of the best things about Edinburgh is that it’s a capital city with all the benefits of London but without the negatives.”
He added that friendliness and close proximity to ‘beautiful countryside’ makes a ‘massive difference’.

Bromley did comment however that Edinburgh housing needed improvement, making it more affordable and reducing some of the ‘tension’ that exists between residents and students.

Furthermore, he believed installing more cycle paths and cutting bus fares for all students, including mature students, would help to enhance Edinburgh’s reputation as a University city.

Indeed, northerners were voted more ‘helpful, warm and welcoming’ in a poll conducted by hotel chain Best Western in September 2008.
Lucy Wilkinson, a second year Biology student, commutes from her New Town flat to King’s Buildings each morning by car. She says “although Edinburgh is manageable in terms of its size, I’ve found the bus is more expensive and sometimes unreliable”. She adds that sharing the cost of a car with fellow students makes for a more ‘hassle free’ journey.

Edinburgh city council has recognised the ‘unprecedented growth’ of journeys being made by car as well as the need for a more advanced and affordable transport network.

The council believes that new tram routes, cycle paths and the possible return of a controversial congestion charging scheme originally voted down in 2005  will improve the situation.