Melbourne: World's most livable city for 7th year

World
Europe

Melbourne has been named the world's most livable city for the seventh consecutive year according to The Economist's annual survey on global livability.

It is also the first time in the survey's 15-year history that a city has ranked number one in its own right for seven consecutive years, beating the previous record set by Vancouver with six consecutive years.

Melbourne's strong position was due to its strong healthcare, education and infrastructure scores as well as its low crime rate, Xinhua said, citing a statement from the minister for tourism for Victoria.

Praise and objection

The city's lord mayor Robert Doyle has hailed the world record, calling it "an amazing feat that all Melbournians should be extremely proud of."

However, the Victorian Council of Social Services poured some rain on the parade, saying the survey used "blunt measures that gloss over the realities of life in Melbourne for many people”, according to The Guardian.

Number of rough sleepers on the rise in Melbourne. /Photo via ABC.net.au

Melbourne University urban geographer Kate Shaw questioned if the growing economic divide between the city's rich and poor was taken into consideration.

The Economist survey measures the livability standards of 140 cities around the world each year, by comparing stability, culture, healthcare and environmental conditions.

Two more Australian cities made to the top 10 with Adelaide and Perth taking the 6th and 7th spots respectively.

Sydney only came in at the 11th place, missing out on the top 10 once again after 2016.

Top 11 most livable cities in the Economist's Global Livability Ranking 2017. / Screenshot via the Sydney Morning Herald

Shakers and the bottom

Austrian capital Vienna came in second place while Vancouver followed closely at number three, both retaining their places from last year.

Icelandic capital Reykjavik rose 13 places from 50 to 37, largely due to a rise in tourism as well as redevelopment.

Amsterdam also moved up, shifting to 18th place.

However, Manchester and Stockholm, which have seen multiple terror attacks in the past 12 months, fell down to 51 and 26 respectively.

Damascus was ranked the least livable city in the world because of the civil war in Syria, falling behind Lagos in Nigeria (139) and Tripoli in Libya (138).