world's best cities

Mercer Consulting has released its 2007 Quality of Living Survey, naming the world's top 50 cities for quality of life. So where are we going to move?

According to the survey, the top 5 cities in the world are Zurich, Geneva, Vancouver, Vienna (tied with Vancouver), Auckland, and Dusseldorf (tied with Auckland). The highest ranking American city is Honululu at 27, followed by San Francisco at 29, Boston at 36, D.C. and Chicago tied for 44, Portland at 46, New York City at 48, and Seatlle at 49.

The survey does not name a single city in Africa or Central or South America (or Antarctica for that matter). The only Asian cities named are either Singapore or are actually in Australia, which is rumored to be its own continent. The world (pictured inaccurately above) apparently only consists of Asia, Europe, and the Americas. And Australia is now part of Asia, and the Americas are actually just Canada and the U.S.

Obviously, some high-ranking cities like Calgary, Ottawa, and basically everywhere in Canada, are pretty boring, especially when compared to grittier cities such as Shanghai, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, or São Paulo. But as the report notes,

"A city with a high Quality of Living index is a safe and stable one, but it may be lacking the dynamic je ne sais quoi that makes people want to live in world-renowned cities such as Paris, Tokyo, London or New York. Sometimes you need a little spice to make a city exciting. But that "spice" may also give a city a lower ranking."

via Mercer HR Consulting