SINGAPORE, Aug 16 — The Republic has trumped Hong Kong as one of the most liveable cities in the world, according to the latest global liveability report by The Economist Intelligence Unit, with Singapore jumping 11 places to claim the 35th spot out of 140 cities.
Citing Singapore’s improving educational achievements as the main factors behind the jump in ranking, The Economist noted that this is the first time Singapore is ranked above Hong Kong in the index, with the latter falling two positions to rank 45.
“Although 10 ranking places now separate Hong Kong and Singapore, the difference between them is marginal at just 1.6 per cent and both comfortably sit in the top tier of liveability where there are few, if any, challenges to lifestyle,” said editor of the survey Jon Copestake.
Melbourne in Australia topped the charts for the seventh consecutive year as the most liveable urban centre among 140 cities surveyed, followed by the Austrian capital, Vienna.
Three Canadian cities, Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary came in at the third, fourth and fifth spots respectively, with a marginal score dividing the cities in the closely-fought ranking.
In Asia, the Republic is ranked third after Tokyo and Osaka respectively.
Cities ranked at the bottom include Kiev in Ukraine, and Damascus in Syria.
The Economist cited increasing instability across the world, causing volatility in the scores of many cities, such as the threat of terrorism in Europe.
“The ongoing weakening of global stability scores has been made uncomfortably apparent by a number of high-profile incidents that have shown no signs of slowing in recent years,” The Economist said in its report.
“While not a new phenomenon, the frequency and spread of terrorism have increased noticeably and become even more prominent.”
Cities such as Manchester in the UK and Stockholm in Sweden have seen their scores decline as a result of recent, high-profile terrorist attacks.
Other issues which threaten stability include concerns over geopolitical stability in Asia, the migration crisis in Western Europe and Brexit, The Economist added.
“Meanwhile, even a relatively stable country such as the US has seen mounting civil unrest linked to the Black Lives Matter movement and the policies proposed by the 45th US president Donald Trump.”
Overall, the world is becoming less stable when a five-year view of the global average scores is taken, with the global average liveability score falling by 0.8 per cent to 74.8 per cent over the past five years. In 2012, the average global stability score was 73.4 per cent, while 2017’s score is 71.4 per cent.
Global business centres are vulnerable too, The Economist said, and these cities can be victims of their own success with overstretched infrastructure causing higher crime rates.
“New York, London, Paris and Tokyo are all prestigious hubs with a wealth of recreational activities, but all suffer from higher levels of crime, congestion and public transport problems than are deemed comfortable. The question is how much wages, the cost of living and personal taste for a location can offset liveability factors,” The Economist said.
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s liveability survey rates each city over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education; and infrastructure. — TODAY
