VIENNA听鈥 The coronavirus听pandemic听has shaken up the Economist Intelligence Unit鈥s听(EIU)听annual ranking of most听livable听cities, propelling Auckland to first place, replacing Vienna, which crashed out of the top 10 as the island nations of New Zealand, Australia,听and Japan fared best.听
The Austrian capital had led the list since 2018 and for years ran neck and neck with Melbourne at the top of the survey of 140 urban centers. New Zealand鈥s elimination of听coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)听within its borders through lockdown measures helped by its geographic isolation, however, gave its cities a big boost.听
鈥New Zealand鈥s tough lockdown allowed their society to reopen and enabled citizens of cities like Auckland and Wellington to enjoy a lifestyle that looked similar to pre-pandemic life,鈥听the EIU said in a statement.听
The EIU generally does not make the full ranking public. The last time Auckland was in the top 10 was in 2017, when it came eighth, a position Melbourne shared with Geneva this year. Vienna fell to 12th.听
Illustrating New Zealand鈥s advantage this year, Wellington also entered the top 10. It came fourth behind Osaka, which rose two spots to second place, and Adelaide, which leapfrogged its compatriots Sydney and Melbourne to third place from 10th.听
The latest ranking is from 2019 as last year鈥s was canceled.听
鈥The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on global听livability,鈥听the EIU said.听
鈥Cities across the world are now much less听livable听than they were before the pandemic began, and we鈥ve seen听that regions听such as Europe have been hit particularly hard.鈥听
The European Union struggled to get its vaccination campaign off the ground and many member states including Austria imposed more lockdowns than they had hoped to, hurting their cities’ scores in the measure of听鈥culture and environment.鈥听The four other categories assessed are stability, healthcare, education and infrastructure.听鈥斕Reuters听
