RTR4PAEX Victoria, Melbourne
Fireworks explode during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 opening event at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Victoria, February 12, 2015. Reuters/Hamish Blair

The cities of Australia and Canada are leading the world’s most livable cities list for 2015. The list, prepared by Economist Intelligence Unit’s Annual Livability division, features three Australian cities in the top 10.

The names of Most Livable Cities were finalised after evaluating 140 cities from across the globe and weighing them on the basis of 30 factors, which included safety, healthcare, and environment among others in deciding the final score. The study also noted a slippage of average livability score by one percent across the world since 2010. It also mentioned a 2.2 percent decline in stability and safety in all the cities, reports Washington Post.

“Those that score best tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density. These can foster a range of recreational activities without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure,” noted the report.

Amazing Melbourne

Australian city Melbourne topped the list for 2015 and retained that title for the fifth year in running. “Melbourne has the best of everything and this title proves it,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told the ABC News.

Top 10

The top 10 list for 2015 is actually a top 11 list because of a tie. There is no sixth rank.

1. Melbourne, Australia

2. Vienna, Austria

3. Vancouver, British Columbia

4. Toronto

5. Calgary, Alberta

5. Adelaide, Australia

7. Sydney

8. Perth, Australia

9. Auckland, New Zealand

10. A tie: Helsinki, Finland and Zurich, Switzerland.

US City

One interesting outcome of the study was that only one city from the U.S. qualified to be in the top 30 list. That was Honolulu, Hawaii. The list also mentioned that 57 cities suffered erosion in their livability factor. The worst affected was Ukraine’s capital Kiev as it joined the likes of Damascus, Tripoli and Lagos, which are at the bottom of the list, reports Market Watch.

According to the report, livability factor is under threat in many cities because of civil unrest, acts of terror and violence. It mentioned the terrorist shootings in France and Tunisia and actions of Islamic State in the Middle East as threats faced by many countries. In some countries, domestic protests over police brutality, democracy and austerity are exacerbating civil unrest. It mentioned the U.S. where deaths of a number of black people in police action sparked off widespread protests and raised allegations of racism.

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