Vancouver has tied with Auckland as the world’s fourth best place to live, according to British consultancy Mercer’s 2010 Quality of Living survey.
Mercer’s study assessed the quality of living in 221 cities worldwide, measuring them against New York, which it gave a score of 100 points as the base city. The survey was released May 26.
Vienna retained the top spot as the city with the world’s best quality of life. Zurich and Geneva follow in second and third position respectively.
Mercer conducts the ranking to help governments and multi-national companies compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments.
Business in Vancouver caught up with the City of Vancouver’s senior central area planner, Michael Gordon, late Wednesday. He lived in Switzerland for a year and a half in his youth and has been to each of the cities which ranked higher than Vancouver.
"I think it’s a pretty proud moment when we’re identified in line with those cities,” Gordon said. “One of the most fundamental elements of Vancouver’s livability is that there’s a balance of nature and the city knitted together.”
A stable economy for the last quarter decade has helped, he said.
“City council has consistently shown a lot of concern and taken a lot of leadership in creating a great place to live and work and play.”