Hey, Check This Out! Livability of Cities

The livability of cities; lists like these, measuring some metric that seemingly is impossible to view quantitatively but at the same time seems very quantitative, always interest me. Of course, something as broad as livability is far different from something such as highest crime rate; that can easily measured as 'criminal instances per 1000 people', for example. But livability must be based on numerous factors. Nowadays at least, organizations do a pretty good of combining different factors to give rankings that are supportable by evidence. This is particularly true from looking at the Economic Intelligence Unit's data on the most livable cities. Their index measures things such as public transport, economic well being, and other metrics that show how serviceable a city is to its inhabitants. This is why cities that routinely produce the most innovative products and companies and have the largest economies, such as New York City or Shanghai, do not make the list. Instead, cities in countries that do not have as large economic control of the world but have routinely cleaner energy, care for the homeless and poor, and other measures make the list. This includes:

10. Adelaide, Australia
9. Copenhagen, Denmark
7. Tokyo, Japan and Toronto, Canada
6. Vancouver, Canada
5. Calgary, Canada
4. Osaka, Japan
3. Sydney, Australia
2. Melbourne, Australia
1. Vienna, Austria

whose respective countries are all small to medium size, but take great care in measures supporting universal programs for their citizens. There seems to be a lot of contention between world leaders on which view is ultimately more productive for society: that of maximum innovation or maximum well being. In my view, while the well being view is great, these countries have to sacrifice innovation in order for this to work. For example, the United States has far less social programs for its poor, mentally ill, homeless, and other groups. Nevertheless, it has the highest economic output on Earth. However, it seems to be the pattern that these countries, while all very happy and willing to lend a helping hand to their citizens in need of it, don't have the competitive atmosphere and anxiousness to strive for excellence such as the US (with the exception of Japan, a powerhouse that is also one of the most livable). So, it depends on what you want, but if you want extreme economic output and innovation, look to China and the US. But, if that's not your thing, and you want a simpler, middleman worldview and a comfortable way of living, maybe check these countries out.

Source:
Gross, Sybilla. “These Are the World’s Most Liveable Cities in 2019.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 3 Sept. 2019, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-03/these-are-the-world-s-most-liveable-cities-in-2019?utm_campaign=news&utm_medium=bd&utm_source=applenews.

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