The most beautiful city in the world ranked by scientists...and it's Chester
2 August 2022, 14:12
Science has ranked the most beautiful city in the world...and it's Chester
The walled Roman cathedral city in the northwest of England, has the highest percentage of buildings - 83.7 per cent - that align with the 'golden ratio'.
Using this ratio as a guide, researchers drew up a ranking of the most eye-catching cities on the planet, with Venice coming second with a 'beauty score' of 83.3 per cent.
In third place is London (83 per cent). Fourth place is scooped up by Belfast (82.9 per cent), while Rome slides into fifth place at 82 per cent.
The rest of the top 10 is comprised of Barcelona (sixth, 81.9 per cent), Liverpool (seventh, 81 per cent), Durham (eighth, 80.5 per cent), Bristol (ninth, 80 per cent), and Oxford (10th, 79.7 per cent).
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The golden ratio is used as a barometer of beauty and numerically and is a ratio of 1:1.618. Using this formula a building that aligns with it would contain shapes and structures that have a relationship with each other in this ratio.
Research shows that humans find objects that unfold with this ratio of expansion inherently beautiful.
This 'golden ratio' can be found in Sonic the Hedgehog's head, in flowers, waves and even galaxies.
For this study by Online Mortgage Advisor, researchers scanned Google Street View for front-facing photos of hundreds of streets and more than 2,400 buildings in historical cities worldwide.
Next, they plotted points at the corners of each building to calculate the ‘proportion of the longest and shortest lengths of its dimensions’. Those proportions were then compared to the golden ratio (1:1.618) to see how well they matched.
Commenting on the research, a spokesman for Online Mortgage Advisor said: 'Many artists over the past few centuries have incorporated the golden ratio into their work, believing it to be a gold standard in natural aesthetic perfection. Using the golden ratio to measure regular buildings and iconic landmarks, we set out to discover which city in the UK and around the world can lay claim to having the most beautiful buildings."
A spokesman for Visitcheshire.com said:"Chester has the most complete city walls, the oldest racecourse and the largest Roman Amphitheatre in Britain, plus a 1,000-year-old cathedral with Europe's finest example of medieval carvings. The ancient city is a truly breathtaking experience."
TOP TWENTY MOST BEAUTIFUL CITIES USING THE GOLDEN RATIO
1. Chester, UK - 83.7 per cent
2. Venice, Italy - 83.3%
3. London, UK - 83%
4. Belfast, UK - 82.9%
5. Rome, Italy - 82%
6. Barcelona, Spain - 81.9%
7. Liverpool, UK - 81%
8. Durham, UK - 80.5%
9. Bristol, UK - 80%
10. Oxford, UK - 79.7%
11. Birmingham, UK - 79.4%
12 = Edinburgh, UK - 78.9%
12 = Cardiff, UK - 78.9%
13. Prague, Czech Republic - 78.7%
14. Exeter, UK - 78.5%
15. Bath, UK - 78.2%
16. Canterbury, UK - 77.8%
17. New York, U.S - 77.7%
18. Worcester, UK - 77.6%
19. Athens, Greece - 77.5%
20. Cambridge, UK - 76.1%
Source: Online Mortgage Advisor
