Another year, another most liveable city award. At this point, are we even that surprised? For the seventh year in a row, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has ranked Melbourne in the top spot, achieving a score of 97.5 out of 100. In second spot is Vienna, then a trio of Canadian cities – Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary. In joint fifth place with Calgary is (wait for it!) Adelaide. If you're wondering whether our northern buddies up in Sydney stand, it's at number 11. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Economist's liveability index measures cities based on a number of factors, including stability, healthcare, education, culture, environment and infrastructure.
Naturally, lord mayor Robert Doyle is encouraging all Melburnians to be "extremely proud" of the result (and extremely proud of the extra tourism and business dollars it brings). "This accolade is an important selling point for Melbourne internationally: for businesses to invest or move here, for the best and brightest people to make Melbourne their home and for tourists to visit us."
"We do not take this title for granted and work constantly to ensure we are protecting and enhancing our liveability for future generations."
This result comes off the back of Melbourne's success in another major city ranking system: the Time Out City Index. Unlike the EIU, Time Out asked its readers in 18 different cities around the world how they felt about their city, and based their findings on six factors: dynamism (how vibrant and exciting life feels in the city), inspiration, food and drink, community, sociability and affordability. Melbourne nearly came out on top at number 2, beaten by a fraction by Chicago (and that was before Trump got elected). You can find out more about the City Index here, and read our take on why Sydney was ranked as one of the least-fun places to live.
When you put these two city ranking systems together, it's clear that we're a bit in love with our city, and for good reason. That said, it's important to remember that in Melbourne, we've got a long way to go when it comes to making the city a supportive, safe place for our homeless community, and other vulnerable sectors of society.
For more warm and fuzzy Melbourne feels, check out the City of Melbourne's video that they've created in celebration of the announcement.
