Mercer Consulting, a human resources and management consultancy, released its Worldwide Quality of Living survey, which includes new rankings on the world’s most livable cities. According to the survey, Vienna is the city with the highest quality of urban living in the world, followed by Zurich and Geneva. No U.S. city makes it into the top 25 listing — the highest is Honolulu in Hawaii, which ranks 29th.
The criteria used by Mercer Consulting to rate cities include: political stability, crime, medical services, schools (especially international schools), public services, transport, recreation, shops, housing, climate and pollution. It’s not clear how each are weighted in Mercer’s index.
Top ten cities:
1. Vienna
2. Zurich
3. Geneva
4. Vancouver
4. Auckland
6. Dusseldorf
7. Munich
8. Frankfurt
9. Berne
10. Sydney
Of U.S. cities in the top 50 rankings: Honolulu came in 29th; San Francisco is 30th; Boston is 35th; Portland is 42nd; Chicago and Washington, D.C. are tied at 44th; New York City is 49th; and Seattle is 50th.
In terms of infrastructure, the top 5 cities in the Americas are:
Vancouver, Canada (6th)
Atlanta, USA (15th)
Montreal, Canada (tied 15th)
Toronto, Canada (18th)
Washington D.C, USA (24th)
See the top 50 list of most livable cities and learn more about Mercer Consulting’s methodology.
Also, go to the World Bank’s Little Green Data book (2008) for comprehensive data on livability indicators like pollution, carbon emissions, energy use, and access to water and sanitation. The World Bank tracks data by region and country.
when i click through to the list, it shows Chicago in 44th place as well, but we don’t get a mention in your blurb. Where’s the love?!