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Hong Kong: ‘most liveable city’
We’ve probably called Hong Kong the world’s greatest city a few times in the past – but even we’re surprised by a new report which has just been released. Hong Kong has been bequeathed the title of the world’s ‘most liveable city’ in a move that has raised many eyebrows here and further afield.
The Economist Intelligence Unit releases a biannual global ‘liveability index’ which highlights the best cities in the world to live in. The top spot is heavily coveted but Hong Kong has never owned it. Until now. It has beaten Canadian, Australian and Japanese cities and has left us Hongkongers scratching our heads a little. We love our city, of course, and it should certainly top the ‘most dynamic, lively, fun and awesome’ index but, really, ‘most liveable’? Every day we’re rubbing shoulders with endless streams of people in bustling crowds. We practically live on top of one another. Some days you can feel the stress in the air as you inhale the smog.
However, this is not a criticism piece. It’s a pat on the back! Somehow, we’re number one in a list we could never have dreamed of topping. But how did the fragrant harbour actually finish first while regular heavyweights Melbourne, Vienna and Vancouver failed to even make the top 10? A closer look at the methodology yields some answers. The EIU held a competition to devise a new method of ranking cities. The winner, Filippo Lovato, created new criteria and also omitted 70 cities (including Melbourne, Vienna and Vancouver). So Hong Kong’s really only number one under highly specific conditions. Oh well, we’ll forget that bit: we’re still number one!
Lovato gave his reasoning for Hong Kong’s high score: “Hong Kong, the winner, is a very compact city that has managed to maintain its natural heritage, create a dense network of green spaces and enjoy extensive links to the rest of the world.” Again – really? We can all agree Hong Kong is great, but liveable? Hell, we’ll take it!
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