Melbourne keeps crown as world's most liveable city

7 of top 10 cities in Canada, Australia; survey highlights deterioration in stability of cities around the world


Afp August 18, 2015
PHOTO: AFP

LONDON: Melbourne, Australia, is the world's most liveable city but conflict and terrorism have led to a fall in global urban living conditions more generally, according to a respected British study published Tuesday.

For the fifth year running, the Australian city came out on top of the annual Liveability Ranking study of 140 cities, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, ahead of Austrian capital Vienna and Vancouver, Canada, which came out top in 2011.

The survey scores cities on five broad categories: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education and infrastructure. It found that mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density scored highly, with Canada and Australia accounting for seven of the top ten cities.

Although offering a "big city buzz", the study concluded that global centres such as London, New York, Paris and Tokyo suffered overstretched infrastructure and higher crime rates as a result of their size. Tokyo was ranked at 15, Paris at 29, London at 53 and New York at 55.

Although the top five cities remain unchanged, more than a third overall saw a change in their score, with the majority of those suffering a fall in standards "reflecting a deterioration in stability in many cities around the world."

"High-profile terrorist shootings in France and Tunisia and the ongoing actions of Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East have created a further heightened threat of terrorism in many countries," said the report. "Meanwhile, protests over matters like police brutality, democracy and austerity have also raised the threat of civil unrest in many countries, notably the US," it added.

Hong Kong also slipped down the rankings in the wake of mass protests and clashes with the police last year.

The three cities falling furthest in the rankings were Libyan capital Tripoli, Ukrainian capital Kiev and Syrian capital Damascus, all as the result of ongoing conflicts. In contrast, Harare in Zimbabwe, Nepal's capital Kathmandu and desert metropolis Dubai recorded the most improved scores.

COMMENTS (4)

Ilyas | 8 years ago | Reply Mate, if you seriously think Melbourne is the best city in the world, you are delusional. I have lived in a host of European cities - London, Berlin, Paris and Frankfurt - and also in North American cities like San Francisco and Vancouver and I can unequivocally say that Melbourne is NOT the most livable city. The city is a haven for desis from the sub continent who seem to congregate en masse in Melbourne. The rankings do not take cost of living into account which I think is a major flaw. Factors such as housing affordability, transportation and weather are also conveniently excluded from the survey. Melbourne is certainly the cultural and sporting capital of Australia and nothing more while Sydney reigns supreme when it comes to being the economic, financial and media capital of Australia. I have always been baffled by the Economist's rankings and could never really figure out as to why then seemed to be picking Melbourne. If forced to pick one, I will certainly pick any of the Canadian or Western European cities over Melbourne. My two cents IB'er who has lived all over the western world
SK5 | 8 years ago | Reply Love Melbourne!
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