The 10 most liveable cities in the World 2020

The 10 most liveable cities in the World 2019-2020, according
to the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Austrian capital dislodged Melbourne
from the top spot after seven consecutive years. based on five
factors of assessments of stability, healthcare, culture and
environment, education and infrastructure.

Vienna remains the most liveable of the 140 cities surveyed
by The Economist Intelligence Unit. After displacing Melbourne from the top
spot in 2018, ending a record run of seven consecutive years, Vienna retained
its position at the head of the survey in 2019.

The two cities continue to be separated by 0.7 percentage
points, with Vienna scoring 99.1 out of 100 and Melbourne 98.4. Two other
Australian cities feature in the top ten: Sydney (in third) and Adelaide
(tenth), while only one other European city, Copenhagen in Denmark (ninth),
scores among the best. The other topranked cities are split between Japan (Osaka
in fourth and Tokyo in joint seventh) and Canada (Calgary in fifth, and
Vancouver and Toronto in sixth and joint seventh, respectively).

The cities within the top ten of the Economist
Intelligence Unit report 2019 remain unchanged from our previous update,
but there has been some movement in their ranking. Sydney has risen from fifth
to third, thanks to an improvement in its culture and environment score,
reflecting an increased focus on combating and mitigating the impacts of
climate change, as outlined by the city’s “Sustainable Sydney 2030” strategy.

 However, Sydney
remains behind its great rival, Melbourne. With both cities already scoring
very highly across all categories, there is only limited potential for Sydney
to displace either Melbourne or Vienna at the top of the rankings.

 No other city in the
top ten saw a change to its score. Over the past year we have observed that
average scores for stability have risen, reflecting, in very general terms, a
slight diminishing of the perceived threat of terrorism, after a period of
acute concern.

Some of these improvements have been considerable but from a
very low base (such as Tripoli in Libya and Jakarta in Indonesia), while others
have seen smaller improvements to already acceptable scores (such as Seattle
and Houston in the US, and Seoul in South Korea).

 Paris in France is the highest-ranked city to have seen a deterioration in its stability score, owing to the ongoing anti-government gilets jaunes protests that began in late 2018. In the emerging world, the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka triggered a downgrade for Colombo, while the growing instability between the US and Iran was behind a reduction in the stability score for Tehran.

Among the other categories, a deterioration in culture and
environment scores is of concern. A slew of cities in emerging markets that are
among the most exposed to the effects of climate change have seen their scores
downgraded. These include New Delhi in India, which suffers from appalling air
quality, Cairo in Egypt (where air quality is also a major issue) and Dhaka in
Bangladesh. A lack of a concerted global effort to tackle climate change risks
further downward revisions in these scores, threatening to offset improvements
in the other categories, such as education and infrastructure, which remain on
a broadly upward trend. Despite the risk to future scores posed by climate
change, a longer-term view suggests that overall liveability has been improving
in recent years.

 In the Economist Intelligence unit sample of global cities, the average liveability score has increased by 0.5 percentage points, to just under 76, over the past five years, driven primarily by higher scores in the stability category.

Devastating terrorist attacks in New Zealand and Sri Lanka
in the past year are a reminder that threats to security are still apparent,
but perceptions of the danger posed by terrorism have diminished in recent
years.

 

 

 

The
10 most liveable cities in the World 2019-2020

Country	City	Rank	Overall Rating (100=ideal)	Stability	Healthcare	Culture & Environment	Education	Infrastructure
Austria	Vienna	1	99.1	100	100	96.3	100	100
Australia	Melbourne	2	98.4	95	100	98.6	100	100
Australia	Sydney	3	98.1	95	100	97.2	100	100
Japan	Osaka	4	97.7	100	100	93.5	100	96.4
Canada	Calgary	5	97.5	100	100	90	100	100
Canada	Vancouver	6	97.3	95	100	100	100	92.9
Canada	Toronto	7	97.2	100	100	97.2	100	89.3
Japan	Tokyo	7	97.2	100	100	94.4	100	92.9
Denmark	Copenhagen	9	96.8	95	95.8	95.4	100	100
Australia	Adelaide	10	96.6	95	100	94.2	100	96.4

Vienna the Most liveable City in the world:

For the first time in this survey's history, Austria's
capital, Vienna, ranks as the most liveable of the 140 cities surveyed by The
Economist Intelligence Unit in 2018.Melbourne, Australia, had been
ranked by the EIU as the world's most liveable city for seven years in a row,
from 2011 to 2017. Improvements in Vienna's score, relating to the
stability category in the ranking, helped by the city's low crime rate, helped
nudge Vienna into first place.   Vienna scores a near-ideal 99.1,
separating it from the Australian city by 0.7 points.

Green Vienna

In 2019, the Mercer Study voted Vienna the world's most livable city for
the tenth year in a row, with the British weekly "The Economist"
voting it into the number one slot for the first time in 2018. 280 imperial
parks and gardens enrich the cityscape. In spring, 400 species of rose bloom in
the Volksgarten alone. The nearby recreation areas of Prater, Vienna Woods and
Lobau invite visitors to go on walks, day trips, hikes and bicycle tours.
Vienna has a total of 2,000 parks.

Half of
Vienna is green
With around 50 percent of the city accounted for by green
spaces, Vienna is one of the world's greenest major capitals.
 
280 imperial parks and gardens enrich the cityscape. The
heart of the city is dotted with pockets of green, such as the elegant parks on
the Ringstrasse boulevard and the Baroque formal gardens of Schönbrunn Palace
and the Belvedere. One of Vienna's finest examples for recreational areas is
the Prater Park, a vast green space given to the Viennese by
Emperor Joseph II. It includes the 4.5km long Hauptallee and the famous
Wurstelprater amusement park.Vienna’s trademark, the Giant Ferris Wheel, is
also impossible to miss.
 
The recreation areas of Vienna Woods and Lobau invite
visitors to go on walks, day trips, hikes and bicycle tours. And one of the
last unspoilt wetlands in Europe - the Lobau, which forms part of the
Donau-Auen National Park - also falls within the city limits.
 
Relaxing
on the Danube
The river Danube is complemented by the “New Danube” with its
outdoor recreation areas and skaters’ paradise on Danube Island. The “Old
Danube” is the ideal place to rent a boat, swim and sail. And the Danube Canal
cuts through the center of the city and is transformed into a stretch of bars
and restaurants each summer.
 
The cityscape is also shaped by vineyards,
which can best be discovered on numerous hiking trails. Vienna’s vineyards are
prized for their internationally acclaimed wine. No trip to the capital would
be complete without a trip to a wine tavern where you can sit and leave your
cares behind you while enjoying a drop of fine wine or grape juice.
 
Viennese
spring water
Since 1873 Vienna's potable water has been supplied by 30
mountain springs. The gradient is also used to generate electricity, making
Viennese spring water a healthy and eco-friendly pleasure. There are also 700
drinking water fountains in Vienna where parched visitors can quench their
thirst.

Smart City Vienna

Vienna is a very liveable and "smart" city,
confirmed among others by the renowned Mercer Study and the Smart Cities Index
of US climate strategist Boyd Cohen. Of course, it's not only the high quality
of life that makes Vienna a popular travel destination:

The perfect infrastructure, forward-looking mobility and
"smart" offerings for guests are also what make the city on the
Danube so attractive.

 

The Smart infrastructure

International organizations and companies need smart infrastructure. Reachability and an efficient transport infrastructure are important key factors in this.

Numerous international organizations and global companies
have chosen Vienna as a city for their headquarters. The most prominent
example is probably the UN, which has made Vienna one of its four official
seats and is represented here by a total of 15 organizations, including UNIDO
(industrial development) and UNHCR (refugee commission).

Around 200,000 students at 10 universities, 5
universities of applied sciences and 5 private universities also make Vienna a Knowledge
City. With the construction of the new campus of the Vienna University
of Economics and Business Administration to a "green
building" concept, a unique campus has been created that offers students
and teaching staff optimal surroundings for education and research.  

Special measures have made the city's transport
infrastructure ever more efficient in recent years. All high-speed trains
from and to the south (Italy, Slovenia, Graz and Villach) and the north (Brno,
Prague, Warsaw) stop at the hyper-modern Vienna Main Station. Check-in for
all night and car trains from and to Vienna also takes place here. The Main
Station is the daily transport hub for 140,000 people, 1,000 trains, 8 express
train lines, 2 bus lines (13A, 69A), 3 tram lines (D, O, 18) and subway line
U1. This also ensures a smooth connection to Vienna's transport network and a
direct connection to the city center. An Intercityexpress (ICE) runs non-stop
to Vienna Airport every 2 hours. A new, attractive city district is also being
created around the Main Station, with numerous offices, hotels and residential
buildings as well as shopping facilities.

The heavily frequented Wien Mitte Station is
one of the most important transport hubs in the city. Two subway and five
express train lines intersect here – including the S7 airport express train –
as well as a tram and bus line. Check-in counters for many airlines and the
terminal of the airport express train City Airport Train CAT make
Vienna-Mitte a central hub and point of departure for travellers.

Its handling capacity has been increased hugely with
the commissioning of Terminal 3 at Vienna Airport. Passengers now
have twice as much terminal space at their disposal. Specifically, that means
shorter check-in times and faster security checks. Passengers enjoy maximum
comfort and convenience thanks to free WiFi, numerous power sockets for laptops
and Smart phones, an attractive range of dining facilities and numerous
shopping outlets.

Architecture and design

Vienna’s architecture is booming: Dominique Perrault built the imposing DC
Tower, Austria’s tallest building, Jean Nouvel constructed a modern hotel by
the Danube Canal, and Coop Himmelb(l)au's angled residential tower nestles
against the old gasometers. One of Europe's most modern railway stations has
also been created with the new Vienna Main Station

Melbourne is the 2nd most liveable City in the world:

Melbourne ranked as the world's most liveable
city for seven years in a row, from 2011 until 2017. Wellington, like Melbourne,
has also been ranked as the most liveable city, by Deutsche Bank,
twice in a row, and also has the least pollution of any ranked city.

The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2017 Global Liveability
Index awarded Melbourne as the world's top city for seven years running. Melbourne
is a truly magnificent city in which to live, work and study.

The Melbourne's were proud to have consistently ranked as one of the world's top three most liveable cities since the index began in 2002. Our cohesive and stable society, healthcare, education, and world-class infrastructure make Melbourne a magnificent city in which to live, work and study.

In 2017, Melbourne was once again ranked the world's most liveable city by the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Index – an accolade we've received seven years running. Recognized throughout the world, the EIU index rates 140 global cities across a range of liveability factors.

While 2017 was our seventh consecutive year at the top of the table, we're
proud to have consistently ranked as one of the world's top three most liveable
cities since the index began in 2002.

Contributing to our ongoing top ranking is Melbourne's consistent
performance across five broad categories. In 2016 we achieved perfect scores in
healthcare, education and infrastructure while we outranked Sydney in the areas
of stability, and culture & environment.1

It's achievements like this that make Melbourne's lifestyle an easy sell
when recruiting and retaining talented professionals. Australia is ranked by
expats in the top 10 places to live, ranking particularly highly for general
quality of life, ease of settling in and as a destination for working abroad.2

Melbourne's inner-city atmosphere is fuelled by a creative,
culturally diverse community and is globally recognised as one of the most
concentrated dining and fashion cultures in the world. Our city's interlocking
laneways and the buzzing inner-city precinct reveal one-off boutiques, hidden
cafes and world-class restaurants, while our larger modern department stores
and shopping complexes compete to enchant the most discerning shopper.

No matter what time of year you visit, Melbourne city pulses with a dynamic and cutting-edge arts and culture scene. Explore the Southbank precinct in the city centre where the Arts Centre, Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre, Recital Centre and National Gallery of Victoria supply the oxygen for our beating cultural heart.

world-famous festivals such as the Melbourne Comedy Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival attracts talent from across the globe, as do our innovatively designed venues such as Hamer Hall and Federation Square.

Melbourne puts on a spectacular series of large-scale sporting events
throughout the year. Experience Grand Slam fever at the Australian Open Tennis,
the thrill of Formula 1 racing at the Australian Grand Prix, the roar of the
crowd at the AFL Grand Final, the fast-paced Twenty20 Cricket, and the 'race
that stops the nation' – our iconic and sophisticated Melbourne Cup.

With an eclectic range of restaurants, cafes and bars to choose from,
Melbourne's dining scene will satisfy the most discerning palate with its
fusion of culinary traditions serving up a smorgasbord of the world's finest
cuisines from popular favourites to groundbreaking gastronomy.

Our numerous parks and open public spaces in the middle of our bustling
city provide ample opportunities to relax. Enjoy some peace and solitude in the
tree-lined pathways through the Treasury and Fitzroy Gardens, the sculptured
terraces of Birrarung Marr and the expansive Royal Botanic Gardens.

Regional Victoria is an impressive checklist of rich cultural highlights,
epicurean delights and natural attractions. You won't have to travel far out of
Melbourne city to experience Victoria's tall forests, historic villages,
Australian wildlife, vine-filled valleys and rugged coastlines – all within a
90-minute drive from Melbourne.

Discover regional Victoria's award winning wineries, artisan breweries,
cafes and restaurants nestled in a diverse range of stunning landscapes – from
the cool rolling highlands of the Yarra Valley, temperate river lands of the
Murray River and the fresh ocean climates of Gippsland and the Mornington
Peninsula – to name just a few. Explore Phillip Island's great beaches and
famous Penguin Parade, the Great Ocean Road's sleepy beach holiday towns and
the breathtaking 12 Apostles.

A Smart City Approach for Melbourne:

“A
city isn’t smart because it uses technology. A city is smart because it uses
technology to make its citizens’ lives better” - Smart Cities Council

 
The Exchange at Knowledge Market’s free
public lecture series continues with Bonnie Shaw and Jordi McInerney from City
of Melbourne’s Smart City Office.

 How can we adapt our city to its citizens while
our citizens adapt to a rapidly changing city?

Hear how the City of Melbourne’s Smart City Approach connects people,
place and technology for the benefit of all. Learn how the Smart City Office
works to enable a data culture, foresee and understand disruptive change, use
participative design and problem solving and facilitates knowledge sharing.
Take a wander into the Melbourne Innovation District to understand how the City
of Melbourne is partnering with RMIT and the University of Melbourne to deliver
a world-class innovation district in City North. Then, learn how the Smart City
Office is prototyping smart infrastructure projects to learn about how the city
is used.

City of Melbourne focusing on smart city initiatives:­­

More than $19.1
million will be invested over the year in capital works projects by the City of
Melbourne, in an effort to respond to the impacts of climate change.

Acting Lord Mayor, Arron Wood, and Chair
of the City of Melbourne’s Environment portfolio, Councillor Cathy Oke,
announced that the draft Annual
Plan and Budget 2019-20 includes
major investments in assets to create a more sustainable city.

“We’re investing more than $19.1 million
in capital works projects to make our city more sustainable and resilient. This
includes investing $7.1 million in infrastructure upgrades across 480 hectares
of Melbourne’s internationally acclaimed parks and gardens,” the Acting Lord
Mayor said.

“We will invest $4.2 million to plant at
least 3400 trees this year and care for the more than 80,000 trees we manage in
the public realm.

“This summer was Melbourne’s hottest on
record so it’s important we conserve our water. That’s why we’re investing $4.2
million in our strategy to collect and re-use rainwater across the city. Our
projects to renew drains and harvest stormwater will protect our iconic gardens
from drought and extreme weather conditions.”

The Acting Lord Mayor also said Council
is proud to be using renewable energy from the Crowlands 80MW wind farm near
Ararat to power street lights, recreation centres, libraries and Town Halls.

Environment portfolio Chair Councillor,
Cathy Oke, said the draft Budget includes $1.9 million to implement the first
year of the Green Our City Strategic Action Plan.

“We will work with the Victorian
Government to create a demonstration green roof in the central city and
increase the quality of green roofs and vertical greening across the
municipality. There are currently around 40 green roofs in the municipality,”
Cr Oke said.

The City of Melbourne will also deliver
more than $29 million in works to upgrade, maintain and install priority city
safety and security measures across the central city as part of the Victorian
Government’s $50 million CBD security upgrade project.

The Melbourne City Council is working
closely with the Victorian Government and Victoria Police to deliver the
project.

The Acting Lord Mayor said the CBD
security upgrade project is well underway and has already delivered significant
safety improvements at Flinders Street Station and Bourke Street Mall.

“Future sites include Federation Square,
the State Library of Victoria, Southbank Promenade, Olympic Boulevard, Southern
Cross Station and Queen Victoria Market, with work already underway on Princes
Bridge.”

The draft Budget will also include $2.6
million for key city safety infrastructure, including $1.8 million on street
lighting upgrades and maintenance and more than $350,000 for maintenance and
upgrades to the Safe City Camera Network and $360,000 to replace out digital
radio network.

“Street lights are one of the biggest
assets we maintain, and a key aspect of city safety. Lighting is both a crime
prevention method and an easy way to help people feel at ease on our streets
and in our parks,”

The Acting Lord
Mayor said.

About The Economist Intelligence Unit’s liveability survey

How the rating works:

The concept of liveability is simple: it assesses which
locations around the world provide the best or the worst living conditions.
Assessing liveability has a broad range of uses, from benchmarking perceptions
of development levels to assigning a hardship allowance as part of expatriate
relocation packages.

 Economist
Intelligence Unit’s liveability rating quantifies the challenges that might be
presented to an individual’s lifestyle in any given location, and allows for
direct comparison between locations.

Every city is assigned a rating of relative comfort for over
30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories:
stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

 Each factor in a city
is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable.
For qualitative indicators, a rating is awarded based on the judgment of
in-house analysts and in-city contributors. For quantitative indicators, a
rating is calculated based on the relative performance of a number of external data
points.

 The scores are then
compiled and weighted to provide a score of 1–100, where 1is considered
intolerable and 100 is considered ideal. The liveability rating is provided
both as an overall score and as a score for each category.

To provide points of reference, the score is also given for
each category relative to New York and an overall position in the ranking of
140 cities is provided.

The suggested liveability scale

Companies pay a premium (usually a percentage of a salary)
to employees who move to cities where living conditions are particularly
difficult and there is excessive physical hardship or a notably unhealthy
environment.

Economist Intelligence Unit’s have given a suggested
allowance to correspond with the rating. However, the actual level of the
allowance is often a matter of company policy. It is not uncommon, for example,
for companies to pay higher allowances—perhaps up to double our suggested
level.

Rating Description Suggested allowance (%) 80-100 There are
few, if any, challenges to living standards 0 70-80 Day–to–day living is fine,
in general, but some aspects of life may entail problems 5 60-70 Negative
factors have an impact on day-to-day living 10 50-60 Liveability is
substantially constrained 15 50 or less Most aspects of living are severely
restricted 20.

 How the rating is calculated:

The liveability score is reached through category weights,
which are equally divided into relevant subcategories to ensure that the score
covers as many indicators as possible. Indicators are scored as acceptable,
tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable. These are then weighted
to produce a rating, where 100 means that liveability in a city is ideal and 1
means that it is intolerable.

The Liveability Survey

The Liveability Survey provides a full report of The EIU’s
liveability ratings for 140 cities around the world. This includes a one-page
overview for each of the 140 cities covered as well as The EIU’s ratings for
each city on the full set of over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors. In
this ranking:

• Each of the 30 factors in each city is rated as
acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable.

• The categories are compiled and weighted to provide an
overall rating of 1–100, where 1 is considered intolerable and 100 is
considered ideal.

• The liveability ranking considers that any city with a
rating of 80 or more will have few, if any, challenges to living standards.

Any city with a score of less than 50 will see most aspects
of living severely restricted.

Purchase the
Liveability Survey.