Taipei is the 27th-most liveable city in the world, according to this year’s Global Liveable Cities Index released on Tuesday in Singapore, which ranks 64 cities around the globe.
Geneva, Switzerland, topped the rankings, in which seven of the top 10 most liveable cities are in Europe and only two are in Asia — Singapore in third place once again and Hong Kong in eighth.
Auckland, New Zealand rounds out the top 10.
Thirty-sx Asian cities were surveyed and seperately ranked.
Taipei ranked sixth in Asia after Singapore, Hong Kong and the Japanese cities of Kobe, Tokyo and Yokohama.
The index, conducted by the Asia Competitiveness Institute at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, covers 64 European, Asian, Middle Eastern, North and South American cities.
It is based on five categories: economic vibrancy and competitiveness; environmental sustainability and friendliness; domestic security and stability; social cultural conditions; and political governance.
The study was first commissioned by Sinagpore’s Centre for Liveable Cities in 2008, but the first report was not published until last year.
The institute has said its index is more representative of ordinary residents’ concerns when compared with other rankings that typically measure either a city’s world “clout” or its comfort level, because it does both.
A major difference is that the index uses indicators that apply to ordinary residents earning the median income, instead of expatriates or the social elite.
Taipei placed 24th in economic vibrancy and competitiveness, 30th in environmental sustainability and friendliness, eighth in domestic security and stability, 33rd in social cultural conditions and 25th in political governance.
However, the results for Taipei show a huge gap compared with this year’s Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Global Liveability Survey released in August, which put Taipei in 61st place in the world.
The EIU’s survey assesses living conditions in the 140 cities it ranked, scoring each one on more than 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education; and infrastructure.
Melbourne, Australia, topped the EIU’s survey for the third consecutive year, followed by Vienna, Vancouver and Toronto.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old