BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'

Subject: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 12:32 PM

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) – Vancouver has again topped a list of the top 10 most liveable cities in the world, giving the Canadian west coast city an extra boost as it opens the 2010 Winter Olympics.

In the annual survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Vancouver scored 98 percent on a combination of stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure -- a score unchanged from last year.

The city has also topped the index since at least 2007.

In the 2010 ranking, there was little change in the top positions with Vienna, Melbourne and Toronto still taking the second, third and fourth positions and the top 10 dominated by Canadian and Australian cities which took seven of the 10 slots.

Johannesburg, which is hosting the soccer World Cup finals in June, came in 92nd place, the highest score in sub-Saharan Africa.

"Vancouver scores well across all categories in the survey and the forthcoming Winter Games contribute to a strong score in the cultural and sporting events category," said Jon Copestake, editor of the report, in a statement.

"Johannesburg has had well-documented crime problems, but performs better in other categories, with the highest overall livability rating in sub-Saharan Africa."

The Economist Intelligence Unit survey ranked 140 cities on 30 factors such as healthcare, culture and environment, and education and personal safety, using research involving resident experts and its own analysts.

It said in a statement that these rankings were used by employers assigning hardship allowances as part of expatriate relocation packages.

New York was ranked 56th, two slots behind London which was at number 54, while Los Angeles ranked at number 47.

Zimbabwe's capital Harare scored the least, making it the list's worst city, with a rating of 37.5.

Following is a list of the top 10 most liveable cities as ranked by The Economist:

1. Vancouver, Canada

2. Vienna, Austria

3. Melbourne, Australia

4. Toronto, Canada

5. Calgary, Canada

6. Helsinki, Finland

7. Sydney, Australia

8. Perth, Australia

9. Adelaide, Australia

10. Auckland, New Zealand

The bottom 10 cities were:

1. Harare, Zimbabwe

2. Dhaka , Bangladesh

3. Algiers , Algeria

4. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

5. Lagos, Nigeria

6. Karachi, Pakistan

7. Douala, Cameroon

8. Kathmandu, Nepal

9. Colombo, Sri Lanka

10. Dakar, Senegal

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 12:59 PM

I would have expected Porto Prince, Haiti to head the worst list.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: gnu
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 01:00 PM

Tronna? Tronna?

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 01:14 PM

Tronna got the number 4 spot. Not bad. ;-) Canada and Australia are clearly the places to be, and New Zealand too, I'm sure. I'd love to live in New Zealand. As for Finland, I think it's a little too far north for me, but I'm pretty keen on the idea of Vienna, Austria.

I notice Schenectady didn't make the top ten! ;-D But they weren't in the bottom ten either.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Amos
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 02:01 PM

Those Brits obviously mis-weighted the criteria in favor of places where rain, sleet, snow, hail predominate. Silly Economist.



A

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: gnu
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 02:07 PM

Tronna?

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 04:17 PM

Yeah, probably the only time I will agree with Amos; I always pack my rain gear for Vancouver.

Tronna has a lot going for it. Calgary if fine for three months, the rest dark and dreary and cold.

I would place Honolulu high on the list. And if someone thinks Waikiki and beach bunnies are all there is to that city, they are ignorant of 95% of it.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 04:47 PM

"Tronna" is the common pronunciation of "Toronto".

"The Economist Intelligence Unit survey ranked 140 cities on 30 factors such as healthcare, culture and environment, and education and personal safety, using research involving resident experts and its own analysts."

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: gnu
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 04:51 PM

The Big Smoke?

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 04:55 PM

gnu- you mean Auld Reekie? An interesting city. Some nasty chilly weather, however.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 05:21 PM

Anywhere in Canada (except the west coastal area around Vancouver) can (and often does) have nasty, chilly weather between some time in November and some time in late March, generally speaking. Vancouver mainly just has a hell of a lot of rain instead...all that moist, warm Pacific air meeting the mountains and dumping precipitation.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 05:25 PM

Nasty chilly weather in Auld Reekie! No way. I grew up there, and it's great watching the snow clouds forming over the Urals from your bathroom window. Nasty is London rain.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 05:33 PM

Over the Urals? Auld Reekie (Edinburgh)?

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 06:06 PM

Look at the map - heading east from Edinburgh that's the first sticky-up thing you come to.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: freda underhill
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 06:18 PM

Vienna is a very beautiful place, winding ways for walking, elegant and challenging art for viewing and music and good food on every street. (don't know if there's a folk scene there!!)

Melbourne and Sydney are fantastic cities, so if Vancouver beats them - I've got to get there. but not til after the Olympics.

Australia and Canada have a lot in common, I think,and I know all about Canada because I read Anne of green gables as a little girl:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: freda underhill
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 06:27 PM

and if you're in Vienna, check out the work of Bella Volen, a Bulgarian artist who lives and works in Vienna

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 08:37 PM

The Urals are some 1500 miles plus from Edinburgh. You have better eyesight than I do.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: pdq
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 08:45 PM

Perhaps he meant the Urinals?

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: gnu
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 08:55 PM

Takin the piss?

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 08:55 PM

I mean the Urals. Have you ever felt the East Wind in Edinburgh?

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Tangledwood
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 09:09 PM

Don't know how anywhere that cold can be considered livable. But then I steer clear of Melbourne and Sydney too, Brisbane's better than them though it doesn't rate a mention, and Adelaide is nicer still. Intelligent Economists must have different preferences to mine.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: 3refs
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 09:32 PM

First trip to Van, was as a 16yr old in 74. During the summer, on holidays when I lived in Winterpeg. At that time, it was spectacular for a kid full of piss and vinegar. Everything about it!!

I lived in Vancouver twice, in 80 and again 82-83. Ain't it funny how time can change everything. Wasn't a kid anymore, and on my first trip "downtown" My brother said "this is Davey St and this is where they go to #$%& a chicken". Around the corner he said "this is Granville St, and this is where when they want the chicken to #$%& them! I've never been anywhere that come close to "Gastown"!

It certainly has an eclectic population, and they don't call it "Lotus-land" for nothing! The people in the mountains are more protective of their morrel patch than most are with the other crop!

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Ed T
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 11:10 PM

Ah, Anne of Green Gables and Canada....from the green east coast of Canada, Prince Edward Island.....and a lot cheaper place to live, than in Vancouver.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: gnu
Date: 13 Feb 10 - 02:05 PM

3... I dunno about that. I got some distant relatives that farm some other BC Green crops on The Left Coast that they are very protective of.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: mousethief
Date: 13 Feb 10 - 02:57 PM

Vancouver is the most beautiful city in the world. Of all that I've visited or seen in books. The water on one side and the mountains on the other -- simply gorgeous.

Whether that makes it livable, I don't know. But it's beautiful.

O..O
=o=

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: 3refs
Date: 13 Feb 10 - 04:55 PM

gnu
I played in Gibsons Landing for quite a bit during 82-83. Part of the mainland, but you can only get there by ferry. Some of the locals weren't too fond of the filming season. I'll pm you about an incident near Molly's Reach, that happened from behind the wooden fence, on the right, in this picture. I'm sure your familiar with the phrase "A Class Act". This was one of the best I ever saw! It was during some annual parade they held in the summer, when all the "Stars" and dignitaries showed up from everywhere.

Subject: RE: BS: Vancouver - 'world's most livable city'
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 14 Feb 10 - 12:51 PM

The weather is nice in Rome, and Palermo, and can be so in Madrid and Malaga (and the Spanish health service has been OK even if Spain is looking a bit financially iffy right now.

Gibraltar is pretty nice too.

The French health service is reputedly OK, so I'm surprised not to see Nice up the top of the list.

Australian politics might well put me off a bit.

But, yes, I think I would have put Port au Prince bottom too. Or maybe Freetown.