Folks, put down your babies. Stop patting your dogs. And drop whatever else you might be holding. ‘Cause The Economist’s annual Global Liveability Ranking has just been released.
The Economist’s Global Liveability Ranking is basically what it says on the tin. Each year, The Economist ranks the liveability of each major city across the entire planet. Each city is judged on its health care system, education system, culture, environment, sustainability features, and infrastructure.
So, how did Australia’s cities do? Well, Sydney scored fourth place. Which, from my more subjective vantage point, feels super fair. I really love living in Sydney. From the bike paths to the beautiful bakeries, I’m here for it. I even stan the CBD pedestrians who will murder you for walking too slowly.
The only thing I dislike about Sydney is its gutted bus system. I shouldn’t need to take three buses, fly a jet, and answer a troll’s riddle to get from Coogee to Newtown.
However, Sydney was beaten by another Aussie city. That city being Melbourne. That’s right, Melbourne scored the number three slot.
Now, when I first heard this ranking, I thought that everyone in Melbourne would be stoked by said news. But this just isn’t the case. Take for instance, Ben Tyers, a Melburnian and the founder of The Local Rag.
When chatting with The Latch, Tyers mentioned that Melbourne used to dominate this index. Which is true. From 2015 until 2017, Melbourne held the number one place.
Tyers believes that since Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown saga, his city has been unfairly maligned. Addtionally, Tyers thinks that it’s back in its slay era.
“Reports of Melbourne’s liveability demise have been greatly exaggerated,” said Tyers. “Even after lockdowns, a ‘dictatorship’, and Collingwood being at the top of the ladder, Melbourne continues to prove that it is the most liveable city in the country.”
“Despite reports from the state’s most popular newspaper to the contrary, Melbourne’s CBD is once again abuzz and back where it was pre-2020. Melbourne feels properly alive once again in 2023, and it’s such a great thing to see.”
The two cities that beat Sydney and Melbourne are Denmark’s Copenhagen and Austria’s Vienna. This is despite the fact that Vienna is literally sinking.
I therefore give The Economist’s 2023 Global Liveability Ranking a solid 6/10.
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