Taipei came first in six major indicators in an overall competitiveness survey of Taiwan’s cities and counties, according to the local magazine that conducted the poll.
Global Views Monthly said Taipei was top in the categories of finance, economy and employment. It also topped the list in education, environmental protection and quality, public safety, fire fighting, medical care and hygiene.
Rounding out the top five in the overall rankings were Hsinchu City, Chiayi City, New Taipei City (新北市) and Changhua County, in that order.
The magazine surveyed the five municipalities and 14 cities and counties on Taiwan proper. The outlying islands of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu were left out of the rankings because of insufficient data.
In the category of economy and employment, the top five were Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Taoyuan County and New Taipei City, while the top five in the category of environmental protection and quality were Taipei, New Taipei City and Miaoli, Hualien and Yilan counties.
The survey also measured three aspects — social order, quality of living, modernity and social welfare — in the cities and counties.
In the category of social order, Taitung and Changhua counties were ranked first and second. Taichung topped the five municipalities by ranking fifth, suggesting that it has shed its image as a city with deteriorating social order.
Kaohsiung, Tainan and New Taipei City were placed first, second and third from the bottom in this category.
The survey shows that the 2010 merging of Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung cities and counties into special municipalities has undermined their competitiveness, as they ranked seventh, 12th and 15th, respectively, in the overall competitiveness category.
The Greater Tainan Government said that many fundamental aspects had not been not upgraded with the merger, which meant that the special municipality’s competitiveness retained the same ranking as it had in a similar survey which was carried out last year.
Meanwhile, the Greater Taichung and Greater Kaohsiung Governments, said they would use the assessment as a reference point for improvement efforts.
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