Melbourne Wins on Liveability (Again)

In the never ending competition between Melbourne and Sydney, Melbourne wins another round.

The annual survey of world cities Liveability by the Economist Intelligence Unit have just been released and Melbourne claims second place whilst Sydney was in seventh place.

Vancouver topped the list of the world's most liveable cities for the fifth straight year.  The top 10 rankings are as follows.

1. Vancouver, Canada

2. Melbourne, Australia

3. Vienna, Austria

4. Toronto, Canada

5. Calgary, Canada

6. Helsinki, Finland

7. Sydney, Australia

8. (equal) Perth, Australia

8. (equal) Adelaide, Australia

10. Auckland, New Zealand

And, interestingly some of the world best know cities are well down the rankings as follows.

16th - Paris

18th - Tokyo

31st - Hong Kong

44th - Los Angeles

53rd - London

56th -  New York

72nd - Beijing

The Economist report says that "Mid-sized cities in developed countries with relatively low population densities tend to score well by having all the cultural and infrastructural benefits on offer with fewer problems related to crime or congestion".  That’s an interesting observation in the context of increasing densities in almost all cities and a warning that those increases need to be managed carefully to preserve liveability.

Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, was the worst rated city just below the Bangladesh, capital of Dhaka.

The Economist Intelligence Unit survey ranks cities based on 30 factors such as healthcare, culture and environment, and education and personal safety.

So, congratulations Melbourne.  


At least Sydney beat Adelaide and Perth (but only just).

Francesco …