Who would not want to live in a city where economy, infrastructure, healthcare, education and environment are of top quality? Well, in the overpopulated age in which we live today, such places are a bit hard to find. However, they do exist. Moreover, a recent report has even arranged the top 10 of them in a list.
The 2013 Global Livability Survey conducted by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has based its chart of this year’s most livable cities on all of the above-mentioned factors. What is interesting about the list is that it is dominated by cities in Australia and Canada.
- Melbourne, Australia – This is third time in a row in which Melbourne tops the ranking. The Australian city managed scored better than all other 140 countries in the survey. Moreover, it was awarded with the maximum points for its infrastructure, healthcare and education.
- Vienna, Austria – Vienna impresses with its low crime rate. The murders in the city amount to about 1.06 per 100,000 people. In comparison, those in New York City are estimated at 4.8 per 100,000 people. Therefore, stability is one of Vienna’s most attractive sides.
- Vancouver, Canada – This is the first Canadian city on the ranking. Although Vancouver is has been losing positions of a leader over the last couple of years, the city is still among the most “livable” in the world. In fact, it may soon regain its previous top spot. That is because it recently started a number of high-profile projects which are expected to further improve life in the city.
- Toronto, Canada – This Canadian city has scored the maximum result in sectors like healthcare, education and stability. It lacks points only in infrastructure. However, even in this category it impresses with a score of a little under 90%.
- Calgary, Canada – Similar is the situation with Calgary. The third Canadian city on the list needs to work more on its culture, environment and infrastructure in order to improve its position on the chart.
- Adelaide, Australia – Actually, Adelaide is tied up with Calgary. Both cities have the same result of 96.6 points. The only difference between the Australian and the Canadian representatives is that Adelaide performed better in culture and environment and that Calgary scored higher in stability.
- Sydney, Australia – Sydney is one of Melbourne’s biggest rivals. Therefore, its inhabitants may be slightly disappointed to learn that their city is 7th on the list. Sydney is famous mainly with its breathtaking harbor. However, it has much more to offer. For instance, it has an amazing nightlife, museums, top-class cuisine, luxury shopping and, of course, some of the best surf beaches.
- Helsinki, Finland – In 2012, Helsinki was announced World’s Design Capital. In addition, over the last few years, in shows various signs of revival. The fact that the city is also the heart of one of Europe’s strongest economies makes things even better.
- Perth, Australia – Although the atmosphere in this city is very laidback, its economy is currently flourishing. Perth has become one of the most attractive Australian spots for investors.
- Auckland, New Zealand – Auckland has a perfect score only in one category – education. Despite that, it managed to find a place in the top 10 ranking. Auckland is New Zealand’s biggest city. Nevertheless, it impresses with its peaceful surroundings and amazing culinary culture. In addition, Auckland life has a great buzz to it.
At the very bottom of the ranking are the world’s least livable cities. The lowest score of them belongs to Syria’s Damascus. The city is follows by Dhaka in Bangladesh, Port Moresby in PNG and Lagos in Nigeria. Middle East cities like Pakistan’s Karachi, Libya’s Tripoli and Iran’s Tehran can also be found at the bottom spots.
The report concludes that the top performers this year tend to be mid-sized cities located in wealthy countries. Also, the majority of them have a rather low population density.
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