Vienna topples Melbourne in 'most liveable city' ranking
The Austrian capital beat Australia's Melbourne, which had held the crown for seven consecutive years. It's the first time Vienna has topped the list. The annual survey ranks 140 cities around the world, based on a range of variables.
The Otto Wagner's Stadtbahn Pavilion, Karlsplatz, Vienna. January 24, 2018.
Austria's capital Vienna has beaten Melbourne to be ranked the "world's most liveable city" in a new annual survey released on Monday, ending the southern Australian city's seven-year reign.
It is the first time a European metropolis has topped the annual chart compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit which identifies the best urban playgrounds to live and work in.
Aerial view of Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday March 15, 2006.
Each year 140 cities are given scores out of 100 on a range of factors such as living standards, crime, transport infrastructure, access to education and healthcare, as well as political and economic stability.
Vienna scored a "near-ideal" 99.1, beating Melbourne into second place on 98.4. Japan's Osaka took third place.
Australia and Canada dominated the top ten, each boasting three cities. Australia had Melbourne, Sydney (fifth) and Adelaide (10th) while Canada had Calgary (fourth), Vancouver (sixth) and Toronto (joint seventh).
"Those that score best tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries," researchers said in their report.
They noted that several cities in the top 10 had relatively low population densities which fostered "a range of recreational activities without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure."
Former Olympic hammer throw champion Koji Murofushi of Japan, centre, cleans the Olympic cauldron, which was used at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, with a group of children during an event promoting Tokyo as the host city for the 2020 Olympics at the national stadium in Tokyo, Sunday, September 1, 2013.
Australia and Canada, researchers said, have an overall average population density of 3.2 and four people per square kilometre respectively, compared to a global average of 58.
Japan, which alongside Osaka boasted Tokyo in the top ten (joint seventh), is the glaring exception to that rule with a nationwide average of 347 people per square kilometre but its cities are still famed for their transport networks and living standards.
Copenhagen (Denmark) was the only other European city in the top ten at ninth place.
Researchers said wealthy financial capitals such as Paris (19th), London (48th) and New York (57th) tended to be "victims of their own success" with higher crime rates and overstretched infrastructure dampening their appeal.
A picture taken in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in southern Damascus on April 27, 2018 shows smoke billowing in the area during Syrian regime shelling and air strikes.
Syria's war-torn capital, Damascus at bottom of the list
At the other end of the spectrum the five worst cities to live in were Damascus (Syria) at the bottom of the table followed by Dhaka (Bangladesh), Lagos (Nigeria), Karachi (Pakistan) and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.
The survey also looked at cities where long-term improvements had been made. Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Hanoi (Vietnam), Belgrade (Serbia) and Tehran (Iran) saw the largest improvements in liveability over the last five years – more than five percentage points.
Supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan political party, block the main road leading to the airport in Karachi, Pakistan on November 25, 2017.
Ukraine's Kiev, the capital of a European country racked by political violence, civil war and the loss of Crimea to Russia, saw the largest drop in its liveability over the last five years (-12.6 percent).
Puerto Rico's San Juan which was devastated by a hurricane last year as well as Damascus and Caracas (Venezuela) also saw steep drops over the same period.
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