The Economist Intelligence Unit is out with its annual ranking of the world's most livable cities based on "30 factors spread across five areas: stability, infrastructure, education, health care and environment." The least livable cities struggled with civil unrest, terrorism and other violence.
The most livable cities
1. Melbourne, Australia (just as it was last year. "Melbourne has the best of everything and this title proves it," Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
2. Vienna, Austria
3. Vancouver, British Columbia
4. Toronto
5. Calgary, Alberta
5. Adelaide, Australia
6. (Since two are tied for fifth there is no sixth.)
7. Sydney
8. Perth, Australia
9. Auckland, New Zealand
10. A tie between Helsinki, Finland and Zurich, Switzerland.
The least livable cities
The report noted "a deterioration in stability in many cities around the world."
"Civil unrest, acts of terror and violence have triggered stability declines around the world," it said. "High-profile terrorist shootings in France and Tunisia, and the ongoing actions of Islamic State [ISIL] in the Middle East have created a further heightened threat of terrorism in many countries." Terrorists did seem to affect many of the cities near the bottom of the rankings.
136. Tripoli, Libya
137. Lagos, Nigeria
138. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
139. Dhaka, Bangladesh
140. Damascus, Syria
Washington Post