Melbourne named ‘Most Liveable’ for five years

Melbourne has consistently appeared in the top five cities since the ranking’s inception in 2002, and has taken out the top spot in the last five consecutive years.

Melbourne has again topped the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Liveability Survey, with South Australia’s capital Adelaide coming in in fifth place.

Vienna, Austria, has been ranked as the world’s second most liveable city, followed by Vancouver and Toronto, Canada, respectively.

The Global Liveability Survey rates cities out of 100 in the areas of health care, education, stability, culture and environment and infrastructure, with Melbourne achieving a near flawless 97.5.

Sydney came in in seventh place behind Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with 96.1, and 100s for healthcare, education and infrastructure.

Adelaide’s environment and culture helped propel it into the top five. The EIU puts this decline down to incidences such as the shootings in France and Tunisia, conflict zones in Syria, Ukraine and Libya, along with civil unrest in the U.S. Though the protests were largely peaceful, some parts of the city were brought to a standstill for several months.

“We should be proud of our ranking as the world’s most liveable city, but we should also be mindful that if we fail to keep planning to improve, others will be very happy to strip us of our title”.

City of Melbourne chief executive Ben Rimmer said being named the world’s most liveable city was a testament to Melbourne’s economic, cultural and social opportunities.

Lord mayor Robert Doyle said the liveability branding carried real weight, especially in Asia, where Melbourne’s ranking gave it an edge in the tourism and education markets.

Melbourne Australia is the world’s most livable city but conflict and terrorism have led to a fall in global urban living conditions more generally according to a respected British study published Tuesday.