Mercer has released its 2017 Quality of Life rankings for cities. Vienna once more tops the list, together with several Western European cities and others in Canada and the Pacific Rim. This yr, city infrastructure is ranked individually, with Singapore topping the list.
Despite increased political and financial volatility in Europe, a lot of its cities offer the best quality of life on the earth and remain attractive places to do business and send expatriates on task, in keeping with Mercer’s nineteenth annual Quality of Life Survey. City infrastructure, ranked individually this yr, plays a crucial role when multinationals resolve where to establish overseas operations and send expatriate employees. Easy access to move, reliable electricity and drinking water are essential aspects when determining hardship allowances based on differences between the assignee’s home and host location.
Vienna ranks first for overall quality of life for the eighth yr in a row, and the remainder of the highest ten list is usually filled by European cities: Zurich is second, Munich (4), Düsseldorf (6), Frankfurt (7), Geneva (8), Copenhagen (9) and Basel, a newcomer to the list, in tenth place. The only non-European cities in the highest 10 are Auckland (3) and Vancouver (5). The highest-rated cities in Asia and Latin America are Singapore (25) and Montevideo (79), respectively.
Mercer’s study also features a city infrastructure rating that assesses each city’s supply of electricity, drinking water, telephone and postal services, and public transportation, in addition to traffic density and the range of international flights available from local airports. Singapore ranks first in town infrastructure rating, followed by Frankfurt and Munich, each in second place. Baghdad (230) and Port-au-Prince (231) rank last when it comes to city infrastructure.
Europe
Even within the face of political and economic turbulence, Western European cities proceed to enjoy a few of the highest quality of life on the earth. Still at the highest, Vienna is followed by Zurich (2), Munich (4), Düsseldorf (6), Frankfurt (7), Geneva (8), Copenhagen (9) and newcomer Basel (10). At 69th place, Prague is the highest-ranked city in Central and Eastern Europe, followed by Ljubljana (76) and Budapest (78). Most European cities remained stable within the rankings, except Brussels (27), which fell six places resulting from security concerns related to terrorism, and Rome (57), which fell 4 places resulting from waste disposal problems. Finally, Istanbul fell from 122nd to 133rd place in consequence of great political turmoil in Turkey over the past yr. The lowest-ranked cities in Europe are Saint Petersburg and Tirana (each in 176th place), in addition to Minsk (189th).
Western European cities also occupy a lot of the top ten places in town infrastructure rating, with Frankfurt and Munich jointly rating 2nd on the earth, followed by Copenhagen (4) and Düsseldorf (5). London is in sixth place, and Hamburg and Zurich are tied for ninth. The lowest places in Europe are occupied by Sarajevo (171) and Tirana (188).
America
In North America, Canadian cities take the best positions within the rankings. Vancouver (5) is once more the highest-ranked city within the region for quality of life. Toronto and Ottawa are ranked sixteenth and 18th respectively, while San Francisco (29) is the highest-ranked city within the U.S., followed by Boston (35), Honolulu (36), New York (44) and Seattle (45). High crime rates in Los Angeles (58) and Chicago (47) have caused these cities to drop nine and 4 places respectively. Monterrey (110) is the highest-ranked city in Mexico, while the country’s capital, Mexico City, is ranked 128th. In South America, Montevideo (79) ranks highest for quality of life, followed by Buenos Aires (93) and Santiago (95). La Paz (157) and Caracas (189) are the lowest-ranked cities within the region.
In terms of urban infrastructure, Vancouver (ninth) also ranks highest within the region. It is followed by Atlanta and Montreal, tied for 14th. Overall, the infrastructure of cities in Canada and the United States is of a high standard, including airport and bus connections, access to scrub drinking water, and reliable electricity. Traffic congestion is an issue in cities throughout the region. Tegucigalpa (208) and Port-au-Prince (231) have the bottom urban infrastructure scores in North America. At 84th, Santiago is the highest-ranking city in South America for infrastructure; La Paz (168) is the bottom.
Asia and Pacific
Singapore (25) stays the highest-ranking city within the Asia-Pacific region, where there may be a big disparity in quality of life; Dushanbe (215) in Tajikistan ranks lowest. In Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur (86) is behind Singapore; other key cities include Bangkok (131), Manila (135) and Jakarta (143). Five Japanese cities top the rating for East Asia: Tokyo (47), Kobe (50), Yokohama (51), Osaka (60) and Nagoya (63). Other notable cities in Asia include Hong Kong (71), Seoul (76), Taipei (85), Shanghai (102) and Beijing (119). There can be significant regional variation within the rating of city infrastructure. The highest-ranking city is Singapore (1), while Dhaka (214) is near the underside of the list.
New Zealand and Australia proceed to rank high when it comes to quality of life, with Auckland (3), Sydney (10), Wellington (15) and Melbourne (16) all in the highest 20. However, with regards to infrastructure, only Sydney (8) makes it into the highest 10, with Perth (32), Melbourne (34) and Brisbane (37) also doing well when it comes to infrastructure in Oceania.
Oceania cities generally enjoy quality of life, although criteria equivalent to airport connectivity and traffic jams are among the many aspects that cause them to be rated lower when it comes to urban infrastructure.
Middle East and Africa
Dubai (74) continues to rank highest for quality of life in Africa and the Middle East, rising one spot on this yr’s rating, closely followed by Abu Dhabi (79), which rose three spots. Sanaa (229) in Yemen, Bangui (230) within the Central African Republic and Baghdad (231) in Iraq are the three lowest-rated cities within the region for quality of life.
Dubai also ranks highest for infrastructure, coming in at 51st. Only five other cities within the region make it into the highest 100, including Tel Aviv (56), Abu Dhabi (67), Port Louis (94), Muscat (97) and future 2022 FIFA World Cup host Doha in Qatar, which ranks 96th for infrastructure. Cities in African and Middle Eastern countries dominate the underside half of the table for infrastructure, with Brazzaville (228) within the Republic of Congo, Sanaa (229) and Baghdad (230) coming in at the underside.
This article was first published in Mercer’s website March 14, 2017
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