subject: Melbourne Declared World's Most Liveable [print this page] In the latest survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Melbourne dislodged Vancouver as the best city to inhabit. Three other Australian cities made the top 10, namely Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.
The coup by Melbourne was completed when Vancouver's infrastructure score proved to be lower than that of Melbourne's. This score is one of the major cornerstones that determine the livability of a particular city. Sydney placed sixth amongst the 140 cities ranked in the survey. Perth and Adelaide tied in the eighth rank.
According to the Economist's Survey Editor, Jon Copestake, "Australia, with a low population density and relatively low crime rates, continues to supply some of the world's most liveable cities. Despite the rising cost of living driven by the strong Australian dollar, these cities offer a range of factors to make them highly attractive."
In percentile rankings, Melbourne garnered a 97.5 per cent rate, Vienna with 97.4 and Vancouver at 97.3 percent. Other Australian/New Zealand cities in the survey include Auckland at tenth place, Brisbane at twenty first place and Wellington at twenty third place.
Melbourne is the capital city of the state of Victoria. It is also the second most populated city in the country with an approximate population of nearly four million individuals. The city has also been acclaimed as the birthplace of Australian film and television, the Heidelberg school of art movement as well as a major center for contemporary and traditional Australian dance and music. It is referred to as the "cultural capital of Australia."
One of the major reasons why many European countries fell in the survey can be attributed to the current Euro debt crisis plaguing many countries and cities. One such city gravely affected is Athens, which fell five spots because of the imposed austerity measures and continuing civil strife. It was ranked 67th place overall, well below many emerging countries and cities. Another major factor be the "Arab Spring" and the civil unrest in many major Middle Eastern countries, culminating in the civil war in Libya. These events affected the peace and order quotient of the countries, causing to fall lower than their previous rankings.
The survey studies the living conditions, political and social stability, crime rates, access to quality health care, cultural events, environment, education and infrastructure standards of one hundred cities throughout the world. Each year, the magazine ranks them accordingly and for this year, Melbourne tops the list.
