Three Canadian Cities Make World’s Top Five
Three of the top five most liveable cities in the world are found in Canada. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Survey puts Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary (tied with Adelaide) behind Melbourne at number one and Vienna at number two.
The Global Liveability Survey ranks a hundred and forty cities based on stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure to determine which cities around the world have the best or worst living conditions.
Vancouver on the coast line of British Columbia is no stranger to the list, having graced the top ten for over six years, the first city to do so. The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics placed Vancouver firmly on the world stage, showcasing the city’s mountain backdrop in lounge rooms around the globe.
The Economist is not the only high powered media outlet to acknowledge Toronto’s economic strength as a city either. Forbes Magazine named the city the tenth most economically powerful city in the world in 2008 and in 2011 Price Waterhouse Coopers put Toronto just behind number one New York City in the top twenty six ‘cities of opportunity.’
Calgary is found at the base of the Canadian Rockies on the edge of the prairie land and is home to the annual Calgary Stampede, a mecca for cowboys and cattle. With easy access to the resort mountain towns of Banff and Lake Louise, Calgary is a city in high leisure demand. In 2007 Forbes magazine named Calgary the cleanest city in the world and Mercer placed Calgary at the top of the eco-city ladder in 2010.
The only other country to score three or more cities in the top ten of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Survey is Australia with Melbourne, Adelaide (tied with Calgary), Sydney and Perth scoring first, fifth, seventh and ninth.
