Another year, another ranking of cities

It's time once again for the annual Economist Intelligence Unit 'most liveable city' ranking:

The EIU ranked 127 cities in terms of personal risk, infrastructure and the availability of goods and services.

All the cities that fell into the top "liveability" bracket were based in Canada, Australia and Western Europe.

No real surprises in the top tens here (compared to past results):

Top 10 cities

• Vancouver
• Melbourne
• Vienna
• Geneva
• Perth
• Adelaide
• Sydney
• Zurich
• TorontoCalgary

Bottom 10 cities                                                                                                   

• Tehran
• Douala
• Harare
• Abidjan
• Phnom Penh
• Lagos
• Karachi
• Dhaka
• AlgiersPort Moresby

It is interesting that while Australian cities dominate the top ten, that there is also a strong national link with the worst ranked city in the world, which is both on its doorstep and was part of its colonial domain for much of the 20th century (until 1975).

But as someone born in New Zealand, now living in Australia, Whitebait is keenly aware how geographical proximity often bears little resemblance to broader media and political imaginations. Australian newspapers, for example, only infrequently include New Zealand and Papua New Guinea stories.

Getting back to the list though, W. wonders how long Melbourne can maintain its ranking given the water problems here? Liveability is dependent on sustainability which doesn't appear to be part of the equation for this ranking.