Monday, 21 February 2011
News that Melbourne is now the world’s second most liveable city has been welcomed by City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.
The release of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) latest ranking reveals Melbourne has moved from third to second spot as the most liveable city in the world.
The EIU ranking is one the world’s most widely accepted rankings of liveability, comparing 140 of the world’s major cities.
Melbourne bumped Vienna out of second spot, pushing it back to third, and came in just behind Vancouver which has held the number one position for several years now.
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said he was thrilled with Melbourne’s move up the rankings.
“It is a great honour to be named the second most liveable city in the world. In reality there is not much room between the top five cities and it is an incredibly tight contest. We have held both the number one and number two spots in previous years, and while we will keep aiming for that number one spot - it's good to be in such esteemed company at the top end of the list,” the Lord Mayor said.
“What we have been recognised for is our combination of liveability which includes our trees, our parks and gardens, our city safety, the events in our city, our retail, our arts and culture and the very substance of our city.
“All in all we are a pretty cool city and I think that has been recognised in our latest survey.”
Stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure are the five broad categories on which the cities are assessed.
Melbourne was acknowledged as being home to a number of globally recognised events such as the Australian Tennis Open.
Sydney came in at seventh spot as most liveable city in the EIU rankings. According to the rankings, Melbourne’s milder weather and lower crime rate were some of the factors giving it the edge over Sydney.
Adelaide and Perth came equal eighth while Brisbane just missed the top 20, coming in at 21.