Indian cities fare poorly in global liveability index

An ongoing study by Singapore-based Centre for Liveable Cities to rank 64 cities across the world, including 36 from Asia, based on their liveability factor might come as a setback for India.

An ongoing study by Singapore-based Centre for Liveable Cities to rank 64 cities across the world, including 36 from Asia, based on their liveability factor might come as a setback for India.

HT Image

None of the six Indian cities that were included in the study to develop the “Global Liveable Cities Index” – Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Pune — finds mention among the top 20, either in the global or the Asian list.

While Geneva and Zurich topped the list of 64 cities as the most liveable places in the world, Singapore ranked third.

Among the 32 Asian cities, Singapore was ranked at the top followed by Hong Kong and four cities from Japan — Osaka, Kobe, Tokyo and Yokohama.

The liveability index was devised taking into account five key indicators — good governance, urban infrastructure, environmental friendliness and sustainability, quality of life and economic vibrancy.

The preliminary finding — the report is expected to be finalised by the year-end — was released at the ongoing World Cities Summit in Singapore.

“We included 32 emerging economies in Asia. However, none of the Indian cities did well on the five key indicators on liveability to qualify among the top 20,” said Dr Tan Khee Gap, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, leader of the study.

That infrastructure in India needs to be improved — the urban population in the country is expected to grow from 340 million in 2008 to 590 million by 2030 — was highlighted in a recent report by McKinsey & Company.

The report said that if civic infrastructure is not improved drastically, it would not only worsen urban decay resulting in declining quality of life but also drive away investments.