Every year, The Economist, a British weekly news magazine, publishes its annual listing of the world’s most liveable cities.
The publication regularly surveys 140 major cities around the world, taking into consideration, including 30 factors across five categories.
Health care, environment, culture, liveability and infrastructure are some of the most important categories that are assessed in doing the rankings.
With the city trying to decide whether to put a bid in for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the liveability of the community is likely a consideration in the choice people will make.
This year, The Economist revealed that Calgary had been named the fourth most liveable city in the world.
Beaten out by the likes of Vienna, Melbourne in Australia, and Osaka, Japan, Calgary swept Canadians off their feet with an overall rating of 97.5 out of 100.
Calgary ranked higher than other Canadian cities such as Vancouver, which placed sixth, and Toronto. which came in seventh.
Canada and Australia are the only two countries in the world to host three or more cities in the top 10.
The ranking was welcomed by many Calgarians.
Candice Andrews, an environmentalist working with Maple Leaf Environmental and Safety in Calgary, admitted she was “a little surprised with how high Calgary was ranked.
“But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me.
“Having lived in Calgary almost my entire live and experiencing the diversity, growth overall and progress we have made as a city, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone,” she said.
Paul Rutherford, an engineer with CP Rail, also was happy with the result.
“In general, Calgary has done a very good job on meeting our citizens’ needs throughout the city, but I do believe that transportation is still a necessary topic of conversation,” he said.
“C-train accessibility into more communities, pedestrian bridges and walkways and transformational ramps are always needed and can be improved. Thousands of people every day use public transportation to go to work or school and Calgary can really never have enough.”
What set Calgary apart from Vancouver and Toronto was the cost of living, including food and beverages, housing and mobility.
Calgary also scored well for lack of crime, transportation, telecommunications, energy, and sporting and cultural opportunities.
In 2017, Calgary ranked fifth behind Melbourne, Vienna, Vancouver and Toronto, which shows the city has made positive changes in the past year.
Melbourne had hit the number one spot for seven years prior to 2018, indicating that it isn’t impossible for Calgary to rise to the top of the list.
