The Economist Intelligence Unit — the city rankings specialists —
has a new list claiming the best cities to live. And they have an
interesting new livability metrics to judge the world’s cities.
The rankings combined EIU’s popular “Livability Index”
with a new measure that focuses on spatial characteristics. The
“Spatially Adjusted Livability Index” takes into account seven
characteristics:
Sprawl: using the “estimated relation between the
metropolitan region’s surface and its total population, the overall
coherence of the metropolitan form and an estimate of the extent of low
density urban fabric.”
Green space: based on “the distribution of green spaces within the metropolitan region, the number of local green spaces and the number of metropolitan scale green spaces.”
Natural assets: using “Google Earth satellite
imagery and information from Open Street Map to assign points to
cities based on the natural features” and the number of protected areas
around a city center.
Cultural assets: counting the number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the vicinity of the cities.
Connectivity: calculating how many cities can be reached by plane from a city and the average number of flights from that city.
Isolation: based on the number of large cities near a city.
Pollution: using World Health Organization (WHO)’s
Air Pollution in Cities database to calculate air quality with a
concentration of particulate matter of over 10 micrometers.
Using these criteria here are the 10 best cities to live in:
- Hong Kong
- Amsterdam
- Osaka
- Paris
- Sydney
- Stockholm
- Berlin
- Toronto
- Munich
- Tokyo
- Tehran
- Nairobi
- Lusaka
- Phnom Penh
- Karachi
- Dakar
- Abidjan
- Dhaka
- Lagos
- Harare
The top ranked city in the U.S. was Washington, D.C. (14), followed
by Chicago (15), New York (16), Los Angeles (17), and San Francisco
(18).
Of course, no rankings or measurements are perfect, and this one is
no exception. Only 70 of the cities on the original EIU “Liveability
Index” had their spatial characteristics analyzed, for example.
Nonetheless, spatial characteristics are important — if sometimes
overlooked — aspects of livability. And it’s not just about how many
parks cities have. Where cities are located and how they grow can have
major impacts on the economy, health and wellness of cities and their
inhabitants.
Ironicaly,Forbes magazine recently ranked Nairobi as the 3rd best city in the continent to live in.
There's no story that cannot be told. We cover the stories that others don't want to be told, we bring you all the news you need. If you have tips, exposes or any story you need to be told bluntly and all queries write to us [email protected] also find us on Telegram
