A new global survey has ranked Calgary as the fourth most “livable” city in the world, with Toronto and Vancouver falling not far behind.
The Economist’s 2018 “Global Livability Index” surveyed 140 cities around the world and ranked them based on 30 factors in five broad categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
With perfect scores in four categories, Calgary ranked fourth with an average score of 97.5, falling behind only Vienna, Austria (99.1), Melbourne, Australia (98.4) and Osaka, Japan (97.7).
Vancouver (97.3) and Toronto (97.2) also cracked the top 10, coming in sixth and seventh, respectively. Last year, all three Canadian cities were in the top 5 and have been consistently featured in the rankings for several years.
Canada and Australia are the only countries to have three cities in the top 10. Researchers note mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with low population densities often produce the best results. Canada and Australia have population densities between 3 and 4 people per square kilometre, compared to the global average of 58.
The survey also notes that New York City, Paris and London -- all of whom fall outside the top 15 -- might be victims of their own success. All are prestigious cities with strong economic centres, but come with higher rates of crime, more congestion and a higher cost of living.
On the other end of the spectrum, Damascus, Syria was ranked as the least livable city among those surveyed.
Top 10 most livable cities:
The 10 least livable cities: