No City in the Islamic World Features Among the Top Ten Most Liveable Cities

Asian and African Cities Are the Worst to Live In

Main Points:

1.    Vienna is the most liveable city in the world.

2.    Three cities of Canda feature in the top ten cities.

3.    Two cities of Switzerland feature in the list.

4.    Damascus is the worst city in the world to live in.

5.    Karachi is also one of the worst cities to live in.

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By New Age Islam Staff Writer

29 June 2022

The Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister concern of the Economist has released 2022's Global Liveability Index. It has presented the result of a survey of 173 countries of the world and ranked them according to their liability during the year. It judged the cities under 30 quantitative and qualitative parameters clustered into five groups such as stability, health care, culture & environment, education and infrastructure.

According to the survey, Austria's Vienna was declared the most liveable city in the world and tops the list of 173 countries. Second in the list is Denmark's Copenhagen. In fact Denmark has the honour of having four countries in the top ten liveable cities. The other three cities are Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. Switzerland's Zurich features third in the list. Another country from Switzerland featuring among the top ten is Geneva.

The List Of Top Ten Cities Among The 173 Countries Is As Below:

1. Vienna ----Austria

2. Copenhagen -----Denmark

3. Zurich -----------Switzerland

4. Calgary -----Canada

5. Vancouver ----- Canada

6. Geneva ------+- Switzerland

7. Frankfurt --- Germany

8. Toronto -------Denmark

9. Amsterdam ----Netherland

10. Osaka ----- Japan

The only country from Asia in the top ten is Osaka of Japan.

Now let's take a look at the bottom of the list or on the ten worst cities of the world to live in. Damascus of Syria is at the bottom that is on the 173rd position being the worst city in the world to live in. All the ten worst cities are from Asia and Africa. Karachi of Pakistan, Dhaka of Bangladesh and Tehran of Iran are among the ten worst cities to live in. The list of ten worst cities is as follows:

1. Tehran ------Iran

2. Douala ------Cameron

3. Harare ------ Zimbabwe

4. Dhaka -------Bagladesh

5. Port Moresby ----PNG

6. Karachi ------Pakistan

7. Algeria -----Algiers

8. Tripoli -------Libya

9. Lagos -------Nigeria

10. Damascus ---Syria

The Global Liveability Index therefore, brings before us the social and economic instability, poverty, educational backwardness and lack of development of the Asian and African countries. Unfortunately, no city from the oil rich and mineral rich Muslim countries has been able to capture a place among the top ten liveable cities. On the contrary, Tehran, Dhaka, Tripoli, Algeria, Karachi and Damascus have been judged the worst. Damascus, Tripoli and Algiers have become the worst cities due to civil war, internal strife and militant and terrorist violence that has been going on there for years or decades. But Iran, Pakistan and Bangladesh too could not build cities that may be a model in the world. Karachi is really one of the worst cities in the world because of the gun culture, terrorism and sectarian strife that claims a couple of lives on a daily basis and because of its poor infrastructure and civic facilities.

But it is surprising that no city from the UK and America has featured in the top ten. The reason seems to be their stagnant economy and society because of their ancient character. Their vibrancy is disappearing and new cities offering economic and trade opportunities and social and political stability and sustainability have greater promise for people and businesses.

But at the same time the absence of some vibrant cities of the Arab or Middle East countries in the list also strikes the mind. For example, Dubai is the most vibrant city in the Middle East but it has not featured in the top ten. In previous years also Dubai featured in the list at 72nd position though according to World Atlas Dubai is "One of most well-known tourist destinations in the world. Dubai is the biggest city of UAE. The city is based on the Persian Gulf’s southeast coast and serves as the capital city of the Emirate of Dubai. Dubai has emerged as one of the biggest cosmopolitan cities of the world and the business hub of the Middle East. The city is famous for its ambitious constructional projects like the Palm Islands and “ The World” which are artificial islands off the coast of Dubai. Dubai’s economy is mainly dependent on international trade and to a small extent on oil that is a limited resource in the city. Tourism, real estate, aviation, and financial services are also major sources of revenue in Dubai. The city is the world’s 22nd most expensive city and the most expensive one in the region. In 2014, the hotel rooms in Dubai were ranked as the second most in the world after those in Geneva.

After Dubai, another city that is known internationally for its vibrant economy, political stability, low crime rate and sustainability is Abu Dhabi. According to World Atlas, Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, is UAE’s second most populous city. The city is a modern metropolis and a major political, economic, cultural, and commercial center in the region. Abu Dhabi accounts for nearly 2/3rds of the economy of UAE. Like Dubai, Abu Dhabi also has a multicultural and diverse society.

Sharjah is UAE’s third biggest city and is located on the Arabian Peninsula along the Persian Gulf’s southern coast. It is the capital of Emirate of Sharjah. The city contributes 7.4% of the UAE’s GDP and is a major centre of industry and culture in the region. The city has been designated as a WHO healthy city.

Some analysts feel that such surveys are designed to attract the attention of global businesses and trade and investment stake holders towards particular cities or countries. The cultural and regional bias may also play some role in the survey.

However, it is also a grim reality that most of the Muslim majority countries both in the Asian and African regions have been going through terrorism, militant nationalism and strife. Due to this, poverty, instability, insecurity, economic and educational backwardness and political instability are prevalent there.

The capital city of India and the economic capital of India New Delhi and Mumbai are ranked 112 and 117 respectively in the list for the same reason. During the last few years, political instability, religious fanaticism and lawlessness has increased in India and so the cities of India also could not win a respectable place in the Global Liveability Index. Two years ago, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi had conducted a survey of Indian cities on the parameters of citizens' perception, sustainability and economic ability. Delhi had ranked 6th while Mumbai had ranked 5th in the list. But both the cities could not win a place in the top ten in the GLI. The reason is social and communal strife, unemployment and the culture of violence in India. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw had drawn the attention of the government towards this bitter truth.

The survey of the Economic Intelligence Unit may be biased on some counts but we cannot deny the fact that Asian and African countries have not been able to raise themselves above religious, sectarian and racial bias and work towards creating a liveable society. The survey is an eye opener for the Muslim society which has not been able to build an ideal and liveable society despite all their wealth and natural resources.

URL:     https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/islamic-world-top-ten-liveable-cities/d/127351

 

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