VIENNA IS ‘WORLD’S MOST LIVEABLE CITY’
Melbourne loses top spot to Austrian capital as best place to live, work in
AUSTRIA’S capital Vienna has beaten Melbourne to be ranked the “world’s most liveable city” in a new annual survey released on Monday, ending the southern Australian city’s sevenyear reign.
It is the first time a European metropolis has topped the annual chart compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit which identifies the best urban playgrounds to live and work in.
Each year, 140 cities are given scores out of 100 on a range of factors such as living standards, crime, transport infrastructure, access to education and healthcare, as well as political and economic stability.
Vienna scored a “near-ideal” 99.1, beating Melbourne into second place on 98.4. Japan’s Osaka took third place.
Australia and Canada dominated the top 10, each boasting three cities. Australia had Melbourne, Sydney (fifth) and Adelaide (10th) while Canada had Calgary (fourth), Vancouver (sixth) and Toronto ( joint seventh).
“Those that score best tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries,” researchers said in their report.
At the other end of the spectrum, the five worst cities to live in were Damascus at the bottom of the table followed by Dhaka, Lagos, Karachi and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.