New report: World’s most livable cities

Pittsburgh tops U.S. list

Marci Gilbert, Feb 25, 11.

Vancouver topped the list of the world’s most livable cities for the fifth straight year, while Melbourne claimed second place from Vienna, and Australian and Canadian cities dominated the list’s top 10 spots, according to reports by Reuters and The Huffington Post.

In the annual survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the Canadian west coast city and 2010 Winter Olympics host scored 98 percent on a combination of stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure—a score unchanged from last year.

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

Where other cities fell in the list:

In 29th place, the top U.S. city was Pittsburgh, with Los Angeles moving up to 44th place and New York coming in at 56th. London moved up one place to 53rd while Paris came in at number 16. The top Asian city was Osaka at number 12, tying Geneva, Switzerland and beating out the Japanese capital of Tokyo, which came in at 18.

London moved up one place to 53rd while Paris came in at number 16.

The top Asian city was Osaka at number 12, tying Geneva, Switzerland and beating out the Japanese capital of Tokyo, which came in at 18.

Hong Kong came in at 31 but Beijing, capital of the world’s most populous nation and No. 2 economy, straggled in at 72.

“Mid-sized cities in developed countries with relatively low population densities tend to score well by having all the cultural and infrastructural benefits with fewer problems related to crime or congestion,” said Jon Copestake, editor of the report, in a statement.

There was also little change at the bottom, with Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, once again claiming the worst position with a rating of 37.5 percent, narrowing beating out the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka.

Following is a list of the top 10 most liveable cities as ranked by The Economist Intelligence Unit:

1. Vancouver, Canada
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Vienna, Austria
4. Toronto, Canada
5. Calgary, Canada
6. Helsinki, Finland
7. Sydney, Australia
8. Perth, Australia
8. Adelaide, Australia
10. Auckland, New Zealand

Sources: The Huffington Post
Reuters
Image Source: Busy Catholic