These Cities Are Ranked The Most Livable In The World
Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, has been crowned the world’s most livable city (out of 140 cities) for the seventh year in a row by The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2017 ranking. Melbourne is known for its vibrant culture and booming pedestrian laneways, filled with cafes, bars, restaurants and markets.
The livability score is based on five main categories including stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Melbourne scored an overall rating of 97.5 out of 100. The city scored 95 in stability, culture and environment and 100 in health care, education and infrastructure. It’s relatively low crime rate is one of the main reasons Melbourne outranked other high-performing cities.
Over the last 50 years, Melbourne has become a cultural melting pot with waves of immigrants who have chosen to relocate there. The Australian city is home to the country’s biggest and oldest film festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival, and it’s known as a mecca for street art and as a thriving environment for artists. Forests, wineries and historic villages surround the city.
The Yarra River flows right through the beautiful cosmopolitan city that’s packed with diverse cuisines, national sporting events, theaters and everything in between. The coffee culture is huge, the public transportation system is inexpensive and efficient, there are a ton of amazing markets and there are no shortages of beaches and modern architecture.
Here Are The Top 10 Most Livable Cities:
1. Melbourne (97.5)
2. Vienna (97.4)
3. Vancouver (97.3)
4. Toronto (97.2)
5. Calgary (96.6)
5. Adelaide (96.6)
7. Perth (95.9)
8. Auckland (95.7)
9. Helsinki (95.6)
10. Hamburg (95)
Damascus, Syria came in as the least livable city on earth. While Damascus is one of the oldest and continuously inhabited cities in the world, the war in Syria has destroyed much of the city’s history and most of it is becoming submerged by rubble. It’s extremely hard to travel around Damascus these days with all of the violence and checkpoints. The Syrian capital saw the second largest decline in livability over the past several years. Given Syria’s current state, it’s not surprising that the capital would be the lowest on the list.