Adelaide has been named the country’s most livable city, thanks to its affordable housing and low pollution, while Sydney has been voted the second least liveable city due to being unaffordable and for its poor traffic conditions.
In a Property Council survey, over 5000 residents from each state voted as to why their city is most or least liveable compared to all others in Australia – and the organisation believes the results should be an eye opener for the Government.
“This is the people’s verdict on their own city, the ultimate report card for policy makers on how liveable our cities are,” Property Council national policy director Ken Morrison said.
“These results should shock governments into action to lift the performance of our cities,” Morrison added.
Adelaide has scored 64.0 making it Australia’s most liveable city. It scored well for quality and affordable housing, a good standard of living and a clean, well-maintained and unpolluted city.
Adelaide scored poorly however in the categories of employment and economic opportunities, vibrant cultural entertainment and adequate schools and educational facilities.
Canberra ranked second scoring 63.6, scoring well for its road network and traffic conditions, for being a safe place for people and property as well as for being an unpolluted city. Canberra scored poorly when it came to climate, its cultural entertainment scene and the quality of its affordable housing.
Melbourne and Perth ranked third and forth respectively, both scoring 62.1. Melbourne performed well for its cultural entertainment scene, design and for having a diverse range of people, while Perth ranked well for climate, being a well-maintained city and having good employment and economic opportunities.
Melbourne scored poorly for its climate, road network and for being a polluted environment. Perth performed poorly for lacking in cultural entertainment scene, for having a limited diverse population and in the category of being safe place for people and property.
Brisbane came in fifth, scoring 60.5 thanks to its climate, affordable housing with a good standard of living and for its good public transport network.
Hobart ranked eighth out of ten most liveable cities in Australia, following on from Wollongong and Newcastle, and scoring well for its road network and affordable housing.
Sydney has ranked as the second least liveable city in Australia, scoring just 58.2. Sydney performed well in the categories of employment and economic opportunities and for its cultural entertainment scene and climate.
Sydney’s performance slid though when it came to affordability and standard of living, thanks to its poor road networks and high pollution levels.
Finally, Darwin was ranked the lowest liveable city in Australia with a score of 57.7. Darwin scored poorly for health care services its lack of a cultural entertainment scene.
The report made it clear that Australian residents are sure of what makes a city more liveable.
“Australians know what makes a great city and they rate our cities poorly in housing affordability, environmental sustainability, congestion and public transport,” Morrison added.
Download the full My City: The People’s Verdict report here.
