Copenhagen may be expensive, but it's still one of the world's best cities to live in, according to a new ranking.
Australia and Canada stand out with several top positions.
Which city in the world is actually the most wonderful to live in? That's the question The Economist's analysis unit EIU asks itself every year, and ranks the world's major cities on the "liveability", where factors such as stability, culture and infrastructure are weighed together to determine how tolerable life is.
At the absolute top is Austria's capital Vienna for the second year in a row, which scores full marks in most categories, and very highly when it comes to the cultural and entertainment offerings.
Canada and Australia
Otherwise, it is Australia and Canada that stand out with three cities each in the top ten list. Japan's Osaka and the capital Tokyo are the only Asian cities in the top ten list, and Copenhagen qualifies as the only Nordic city in ninth place. Copenhagen was pointed out earlier this year as one of the most expensive cities in the world, on a par with New York, but it seems that residents are getting their money's worth.
In general, it is a winning concept to be a medium-sized city in a prosperous country, with well-funded healthcare systems, compulsory schooling and high-quality education, and well-developed infrastructure.
Crises hit cities
The cities that end up at the bottom of the 140 surveyed are metropolises such as Damascus in Syria, Lagos in Nigeria and Dhaka in Bangladesh. Generally, conflicts and economic crises are low, which means that Tripoli in Libya and the Venezuelan capital Caracas account for the biggest declines. Detroit in the US has also had some tough years behind it, with out-migration causing crime to increase while tax revenues to decrease, according to the report.
But 56 cities have also improved significantly over the past five years, The Economist points out. The peaceful election in Ukraine means that security is considered to have been increased in Kiev, and Hanoi, Vietnam, has seen improvements in almost all areas.
Source: TT
