Palma was declared a decade ago by the Sunday Times as one of the best places to live in the world. It took no-one by surprise, in fact the survey was welcomed by all not just as major accolade for the city but because the survey had reached the right result. Fast forward 10 years and the state of the city was a major election issue. The opposition Partido Popular, which went on to win the election, proclaimed that Palma was in a mess, it was dirty, there was too much traffic, and too much graffiti.
The fact that Palma had been/or was the best place in the world was often mentioned during the campaign. I still believe that Palma is the best place to live in the world. My only complaint is that it has become too expensive but that is more to do with inflation and transport costs than anything else. Just look at the number of five-star hotels which have opened in the city over the last five years, surely this is because Palma is a great place to live and visit? If you look at other capital cities both on the mainland and across Europe, I think you will find that Palma is cleaner than the average.
Of course, and (unfortunately) there is graffiti but I would say that the problem in Palma is far less than in other European cities. Also, many of the so-called problems mentioned in the election campaign can easily be rectified. They are not major issues. I think we should take pride in Palma and everything that it has to offer and count ourselves lucky that we do have the capital city which is one of the best places to live in the world.