From The Economist, via Business in Vancouver.
The Economist has released its annual ranking of the world’s most livable cities and although Vancouver hasn’t topped the list since 2011, the city is still considered one of the best places in the world in which to live.
Vancouver takes top spot in North America and is the third-most livable city in the world. The city received an overall rating of 97.3 out of 100, getting full marks for healthcare, which looks at quality and availability of both private and public healthcare. The city also got top marks for education and culture and environment.
The city’s lowest score, 92.9, was for infrastructure, which looks at the quality of road networks, public transport, energy provision, telecommunications and water provision, among other factors.
Again, preceded by Vienna, No.2, and Melbourne, No. 1.
This, however, might be taken more seriously:
Using The Economist’s criteria, overall worldwide livability has declined, according to the report.
“When a five-year view is taken, global livability has declined by 0.68 percentage points, highlighting the fact that the last five years have been characterized by heightened unrest in the wake of the global economic crisis, which has undermined many of the developmental gains that cities may have experienced through public policy and investment,” reads the report.
Melbourne, where I live, is lucky that the EIU don’t rate provisions for cyclists and road safety, particularly for unprotected road users.