The Economist Intelligence Unit has released its 2011 Liveability Ranking and Overview, and the Steel City tops the U.S. list, beating out Los Angeles (44th), New York (56th), and even Honolulu (30th).
But it’s not all good news. Not a single U.S. city ranked in the world’s top 10, or even top 20 most
liveable cities. On that list, Pittsburgh ranked 29th globally. Vancouver, Canada, topped the list, followed by Melbourne, Australia.
“Mid-sized cities in developed countries with relatively low population densities tend to score well by having all the cultural and infrastructural benefits on offer with fewer problems related to crime or congestion,” said Jon Copestake, author of the report, in a press release.
The Economist Intelligence Unit was founded in 1946 as the in-house research unit for the Economist Magazine. The livability ranking
examines the living conditions in 140 cities around the world and rates each city across five categories: stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
The report didn’t hold any good news for Harare, Zimbabwe, which came last place. The report notes that despite high hopes for the 2011 election, Harare’s low stability and heath care scores “paint a bleak picture.”
Check out Jeremy Hobson’s coverage of the 2011 Liveability Ranking and Overview on the Marketplace Morning Report.
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