World’s Best Cities, a service that provides a benchmark of perception for urban economies, has released its rankings of, you guessed it, the world’s best cities. As well as an overall ranking — which Brisbane was also included in! — the report breaks the list down by regions as well, and when it comes to Asia-Pacific, Australia is getting its flowers.
The ranking is decided based on three factors: liveability, lovability and prosperity, and each of these is made up of subcategories with the aim of giving a full picture of what makes for a good city. Liveability refers to practical considerations such as price-to-income-ratio, air quality and healthcare system. Lovability, on the other hand, is somewhat more intangible, and is measured through reviews of nightlife and shopping spots, Instagram hashtags and Google trends. Finally, prosperity is the most straightforward category, as it’s calculated based on numbers like GDP per capita and unemployment rates.
Brisbane’s Ranking
When it comes to Asia-Pacific, Brisbane came in at number 19, narrowly beating Perth at number 20. The report highlighted our city’s air quality — fourth place in all the region! — as well as Brissy’s unique blend of urbanization and outdoorsy lifestyle, citing that while the city has seen rapid growth and is expanding its cultural landscape, it still maintains its chill, welcoming identity. Other points in our favour were our subtropical climate, and proximity to the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, which landed us the fourteenth spot in the Nature & Parks ranking.
But Brisbane and Perth were far from the only Australian cities on the list! In fact, Sydney and Melbourne cracked the top ten, at 7 and 9 respectively, and Adelaide was number 26. All in all, a great showing for the Aussies!
The top 5 cities were all in Asia, with Singapore topping the list, followed by Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and Beijing.
The Top 20 Best Cities in Asia-Pacific
1. Singapore
2. Tokyo, Japan
3. Seoul, South Korea
4. Hong Kong, China
5. Beijing, China
6. Bangkok, Thailand
7. Sydney, Australia
8. Shanghai, China
9. Melbourne, Australia
10. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
11. Osaka, Japan
12. Delhi, India
13. Mumbai, India
14. Bangalore, India
15. Auckland, New Zealand
16. Taipei, Taiwan
17. Guangzhou, China
18. Shenzhen, China
19. Brisbane, Australia
20. Perth, Australia