In the annual Liveability Ranking study of 140 cities, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Hong Kong has fallen 15 spots to 46th place, representing a 3.2 percent decline in its score.
“Hong Kong’s liveability has been hit by the disruptive protests that took place last year,” said Jon Copestake, the survey editor.
“The city retains bragging rights over its regional competitor Singapore, but by a tiny margin. In fact both cities can still lay claim to being in the top tier of liveability where few, if any, aspects of life are restricted.”
Melbourne, Australia, is the world’s most liveable city but conflict and terrorism have led to a fall in global urban living conditions more generally, according to the respected British study published Tuesday.
For the fifth year running, the Australian city came out on top, ahead of Austrian capital Vienna and Vancouver, Canada, which was number one in 2011.
The survey scores cities on five broad categories: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education and infrastructure.
It found that mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density scored highly, with Canada and Australia accounting for seven of the top ten cities.
Although offering a “big city buzz”, the study concluded that global centres such as London, New York, Paris and Tokyo suffered overstretched infrastructure and higher crime rates as a result of their size.
Tokyo was ranked at 15, Paris at 29, London at 53 and New York at 55.
Although the top five cities remain unchanged, more than a third overall saw a change in their score, with the majority of those suffering a fall in standards “reflecting a deterioration in stability in many cities around the world.”
“High-profile terrorist shootings in France and Tunisia and the ongoing actions of Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East have created a further heightened threat of terrorism in many countries,” said the report.
“Meanwhile, protests over matters like police brutality, democracy and austerity have also raised the threat of civil unrest in many countries, notably the US,” it added.
The three cities falling furthest in the rankings were Libyan capital Tripoli, Ukrainian capital Kiev and Syrian capital Damascus, all as the result of ongoing conflicts.
In contrast, Harare in Zimbabwe, Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and desert metropolis Dubai recorded the most improved scores.
Words: AFP, additional reporting by Coconuts Hong Kong
Photo: Laurel Chor/Coconuts Media
