The most beautiful cities in the world according to science and the ‘golden ratio’ – do you agree?
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Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder? Or is there a scientific formula that can help humans achieve beauty?
Recently, a group of researchers analysed and ranked the most fascinating cities around the world using the ‘golden ratio’. As a result, Chester triumphed as the most beautiful city in the world, followed by Venice and London.
So what is the ‘golden ratio’? Early mathematicians detected a pattern in how people perceived beauty, referred to now as the golden ratio. It has long been used to measure beauty and numerically is the ratio 1:1.618.
In architecture, this means that if a building’s structure and shapes align with the ratio, it’s more likely that humans will find it inherently beautiful.
Medium.com detailed on their website: ‘Leonardo da Vinci used the ratio to define symmetry in structures, including the human body, to create art that is aesthetically pleasing to the human eye. In Da Vinci’s study, the golden ratio is the proportion of the measurements of a person’s body parts in relation to another body part.’
With that being said, here’s a list of the top ten most beautiful cities according to science and the percentage they aligned with the golden ratio.
1. Chester, UK - 83.7 per cent
The walled cathedral city ranked first with a staggering 83.7 per cent. Source: Chester Standard
2. Venice, Italy - 83.3 per cent
The well-known destination ranked second. Source: MustGo.com
3. London, UK - 83 per cent
London was ranked as the third most stunning city in the world. Source: history.com
4. Belfast, UK - 82.9 per cent
Belfast came in fourth with its ‘beauty score’. Source: The Independent
5. Rome, Italy - 82 per cent
The fifth place is taken by Rome. Source: The Diary of a Nomad
6. Barcelona, Spain - 81.9 per cent
Barcelona made it to the top ten as well. Source: 10Best
7. Liverpool, UK - 81 per cent
The gorgeous city of Liverpool in the UK. Source: World Travel Guide
8. Durham, UK - 80.5 per cent
Durham city is also among the best places to live in the UK. Source: The Times
9. Bristol, UK - 80 per cent
A glimpse at the 9th most beautiful city in the world. Source: Hotels.com
10. Oxford, UK - 79.7 per cent
Last but definitely not least, Oxford in tenth place. Source: Hotels.com
Check out the full list of cities here.
Funnily enough, the 'golden ratio' can be also found in Sonic the Hedgehog’s head, a well-known video game character in the 90s, and it’s also measured in flowers, waves, and even galaxies.
For the cities ranking, the researchers scanned Google Street View for front-facing photos of over a thousand streets – more than 2,400 buildings in cities worldwide.
Then, they plotted points at the edges of each building to calculate the ‘proportion of the longest and shortest lengths of its dimensions’. These proportions were then compared to the golden ratio (1:1.618) to measure how close they matched.
'Many artists over the past few centuries have incorporated the golden ratio into their work, believing it to be the 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 claim to have the most beautiful buildings.' Online Mortgage Adviser stated.
What are your thoughts on this list? Do you agree that these cities featured are among the most beautiful in the world? Let us know in the comments!
Learn more about the golden ration by watching the video below:
Source: Interesting Engineering
Recently, a group of researchers analysed and ranked the most fascinating cities around the world using the ‘golden ratio’. As a result, Chester triumphed as the most beautiful city in the world, followed by Venice and London.
So what is the ‘golden ratio’? Early mathematicians detected a pattern in how people perceived beauty, referred to now as the golden ratio. It has long been used to measure beauty and numerically is the ratio 1:1.618.
In architecture, this means that if a building’s structure and shapes align with the ratio, it’s more likely that humans will find it inherently beautiful.
Medium.com detailed on their website: ‘Leonardo da Vinci used the ratio to define symmetry in structures, including the human body, to create art that is aesthetically pleasing to the human eye. In Da Vinci’s study, the golden ratio is the proportion of the measurements of a person’s body parts in relation to another body part.’
With that being said, here’s a list of the top ten most beautiful cities according to science and the percentage they aligned with the golden ratio.
1. Chester, UK - 83.7 per cent
The walled cathedral city ranked first with a staggering 83.7 per cent. Source: Chester Standard
2. Venice, Italy - 83.3 per cent
The well-known destination ranked second. Source: MustGo.com
3. London, UK - 83 per cent
London was ranked as the third most stunning city in the world. Source: history.com
4. Belfast, UK - 82.9 per cent
Belfast came in fourth with its ‘beauty score’. Source: The Independent
5. Rome, Italy - 82 per cent
The fifth place is taken by Rome. Source: The Diary of a Nomad
6. Barcelona, Spain - 81.9 per cent
Barcelona made it to the top ten as well. Source: 10Best
7. Liverpool, UK - 81 per cent
The gorgeous city of Liverpool in the UK. Source: World Travel Guide
8. Durham, UK - 80.5 per cent
Durham city is also among the best places to live in the UK. Source: The Times
9. Bristol, UK - 80 per cent
A glimpse at the 9th most beautiful city in the world. Source: Hotels.com
10. Oxford, UK - 79.7 per cent
Last but definitely not least, Oxford in tenth place. Source: Hotels.com
Check out the full list of cities here.
Funnily enough, the 'golden ratio' can be also found in Sonic the Hedgehog’s head, a well-known video game character in the 90s, and it’s also measured in flowers, waves, and even galaxies.
For the cities ranking, the researchers scanned Google Street View for front-facing photos of over a thousand streets – more than 2,400 buildings in cities worldwide.
Then, they plotted points at the edges of each building to calculate the ‘proportion of the longest and shortest lengths of its dimensions’. These proportions were then compared to the golden ratio (1:1.618) to measure how close they matched.
'Many artists over the past few centuries have incorporated the golden ratio into their work, believing it to be the 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 claim to have the most beautiful buildings.' Online Mortgage Adviser stated.
What are your thoughts on this list? Do you agree that these cities featured are among the most beautiful in the world? Let us know in the comments!
Learn more about the golden ration by watching the video below:
Source: Interesting Engineering
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