Canada’s West Coast is in the international spotlight again as Vancouver has been ranked third most “livable city” in a new global survey of 140 cities.
Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 2016 “livability” ranking report conducted by the Economist Group’s Intelligence Unit.
The survey, published this week, provides scores for “lifestyle challenges” in 140 cities worldwide. It looks at factors such as a city’s stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. The rankings looked at specific indicators such as petty crime, civil unrest, sporting availability, public and private school availability and good quality housing and quality of telecommunications.
The ratings ranged from “acceptable” to “intolerable” and were given a score between 1 and 100.
With a score of 97.5, Melbourne topped the list as the world’s most livable city for the sixth year in a row. However, it was followed closely by the Austrian capital of Vienna.
Vancouver scored 97.3, while Toronto scored 97.2. At 96.6, Calgary tied with Australia’s Adelaide for fifth place.
The report noted a correlation among the highest-ranking cities: “Those that score best tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density.”
Terrorism fears
The report also noted that livability had “deteriorated” in 29 of the 140 cities surveyed over the last year. The most striking declines in liveability scores were in Damascus, Syria and Kyiv, Ukraine, where ongoing civil wars have led to increased security concerns.
The overall decline was largely attributed to growing fears over terrorism. Ten cities in Western Europe experienced a decrease in livability following the “violent acts of terrorism” in cities such as Paris and Brussels.
“Escalation in hostilities in Libya have prompted a sharp decline in liveability in Tripoli as the threat to stability from Islamic State continues to spread across the Middle East and North Africa,” the report noted.
Compounding the overall decline was civil unrest in many U.S. cities over the deaths of black people while in police custody, and heightened tensions in Eastern Europe and Asia.
Other major news outlets writing on the livability report made note of Canada’s high profile in the rankings.
A CNBC report reads: “Looking to move to a new city? Try Australia or Canada.”
Top 5 most livable:
- Melbourne, Australia
- Vienna, Austria
- Vancouver, Canada
- Toronto, Canada
- Calgary, Canada and Adelaide, Australia
Top 5 least livable:
- Kyiv, Ukraine
- Douala, Cameroon
- Harare, Zimbabwe
- Karachi, Pakistan
- Algiers, Algeria
