On December 27, 2013, World Cities Day was established by United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/239, in which the assembly designated October 31 as World Cities Day in 2014. They invite states, the United Nations System, UN-Habitat, relevant international stakeholders, and civil society to observe and raise awareness of the day. The first World Cities Day was held on October 31, 2014.
Table of Contents
- World Cities Day
- Best Cities in the World to Live in 2022
- Top 10 Best Cities to Live in 2022
- Conclusion
World Cities Day
World Cities Day is celebrated on October 31 to promote the international community’s interest in urbanization. To encourage and inspire actions around sustainable urbanization by advancing international cooperation, maximizing opportunities, and addressing innovation, technology, and investment challenges, among others. And to address urbanization challenges such as housing, climate change, security, and access to essential services.
Cities worldwide are increasingly feeling the effects of climate-related disasters such as heatwaves, floods, sea level rises, and other natural disasters. According to UN-Habitat, at least 130 port cities with over one million inhabitants are expected to be affected by floods. The one billion people in informal urban settlements are particularly at risk.
The general theme of World Cities Day 2022 is “Better City, Better Life”. This year’s theme is adapting cities for climate resilience. World Cities Day aims to raise awareness of urbanization trends, challenges, and visions for sustainable urban development. A successful, well-governed city can significantly reduce the climate-related risk for its population.
Best Cities in the World to Live in 2022
The best cities to live in are selected by Global Finance based on eight metrics that also include the pandemic response after the COVID-19 pandemic. The following eight metrics were derived from Global Finance 2022’s best cities to live in:
- Research and development
- Economic strength
- Cultural interaction
- Livability
- Environment
- COVID-19 deaths per thousand in the country
- The country’s annual population growth rate
- Accessibility to basic services
These factors are critically important for determining the quality of life of people living in urban areas. Based on data from the Global City Power Index (research and development, economic strength, cultural interaction, livable environment, and accessibility), Macro trends (annual population growth rate), and COVID-19 deaths per thousand data comes from Statista and John Hopkins University.
Also Read: Top ten problems for overpopulated countries on world population day
Top Ten Best Cities to Live in 2022
Below is the list of the top 10 best cities to live in 2022
1. London, United Kingdom
Although it did not receive a high ranking in the COVID-19 metric, London, UK, claimed first place due to high scores across the board in culture, livability, accessibility, and incredibly strong population growth. These metrics pushed it above the rank, and it now occupies the top position in the list of best cities to live in.
2. Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo ranks second in the rankings as it scores well in combatting COVID-19. It also gets good ratings in research and development, culture, and livability, and its transportation system offers a high level of accessibility. In only one metric of population growth rate, Tokyo shows a weakness. As the rate of population growth has declined in Tokyo over the past ten years,
3. Shanghai, China
Shanghai got third place in the ranking due to the exceptionally low COVID-19 deaths figures due to China’s zero-covid policy and strong population growth. It would not rank in the top ten if only traditional metrics were used, but COVID-19 death figures and strong population growth place it in third place as the best city to live in.
4. Singapore, Republic of Singapore
Singapore moderately scored well in economic strength culture, and environmental safety. Also well scored in COVID-19 deaths. These metrics give Singapore a solid 4th place in the Top 10 list.
5. Melbourne, Australia
At the end of 2020, Melbourne maintained its fifth-place ranking, owing to its environmental solid safety metrics. Also, Melbourne experienced significant population growth despite the COVID-19 pandemic. For environmental safety, it sets strict rules in pursuit of zero carbon emissions and tries to make more demanding environmental standards. As a result, it keeps it in the top ten cities list.
6. Sydney, Australia
Likewise, its fellow city, Melbourne, shares almost the same strengths as Melbourne has in ranking: robust environment, culture, strong economic rate, and most importantly, the Australian government’s strict lockdowns succeed in limiting COVID-19 deaths per capita.
7. Paris, France
The COVID-19 death rate is higher than the global average, and its population growth is minimal. However, Paris scored well in traditional metrics, making it 7th position.
8. Beijing, China
In 2020, Beijing was in 22nd place. Surprisingly, Beijing rose to the top 10 in 2022. Because of the city’s low death rate and population growth increased by approximately 2%, which benefits its ranking score. Although Beijing scored poorly on livability and pollution, it still produced a poor environmental safety score.
9. New York City, United States
Due to strong economic growth and cultural significance, New York City is the only American city on this year’s ranking list. The factors pushing it down from 4th place in 2020 to 9th place in 2021 were its increasing rate of COVID-19 deaths and the city’s livability as its cost of living is very high compared to others.
10. Amsterdam, Netherland
Lastly, Amsterdam made a surprising jump from 14th to 10th place, scoring higher than other European cities. A primary factor behind the better score is that Amsterdam has a low cost of living compared to European competitors, has a variety of transportation options, and has a good accessibility score.
Conclusion
On the whole, The impact of COVID-19 on the world’s population and other factors in 2022 is not the same as in 2020 when the pandemic first began: the relative weight of COVID-19 in the ranking has decreased from three to two. That caused the difference in the ranking of top cities in 2022 compared to 2020 and 2021, according to Global Finance’s ranking factors.
