Reports regularly appear in the media about the best places to live – be it in Switzerland, Europe or even around the world. The search for the ideal city has always been a central theme for architects and urban planners. Alongside aesthetic identity and cultural heritage, the quality of life in cities is probably the most important criterion for an ideal city, writes the online magazine archdaily. It refers to a study published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EU), the Global Liveability Index 2024, which recognises cities that strive to constantly improve the quality of life of their inhabitants. archdaily continues: “For the third consecutive year, Vienna ranked as the most liveable city in the world followed by Copenhagen, Zurich, Melbourne, Calgary and and Geneva – attributed to their smaller populations, which contribute to lower crime rates and less congestion. In comparison with the 2023 ranking, the numbers for North American and Australian cities have been dragged down by the ongoing housing crisis.“
According to the “Global Livability Index 2024” of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EU) Vienna is for the third consecutive year the most livable city in the world. Photo linked with archdaily.
In its summary to the report, the Economist Intelligence Unit states: “Western Europe remains the best-performing region for liveability, coming top in four categories, while second-placed North America is best for education. The 30 western European cities in this year’s ranking reported an impressive average score of 92 out of 100. However, the region’s overall score has slipped since last year, owing to a deterioration in the stability category, amid increasing instances of disruptive protests (such as in Germany, Ireland and Belgium) and crime. North America scores an average of 90.5 for its 25 cities, but infrastructure scores have fallen since last year in Canada, owing to an ongoing housing crisis.
The evaluation includes 173 cities from around the world. Each city is scored based on 30 qualitative and quantitative factors evaluating 5 categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. The scores are based on external data points, in-house analysts, and in-city contributors. The category of stability has registered the biggest decline, as protests and armed conflicts increased in incidence. At the bottom of the cist, the city of Damascus, Syria, continues to be ranked as the least liveable city in the survey, followed by Tripoli, Libya, reflecting severe instability. While urban living quality is generally improving, disparities remain, influenced by regional economic and social challenges, the study concluded.
