Adelaide was voted as the most livable city in the country based on the results from a national survey commissioned by the Property Council of Australia.

“This major survey provides a barometer of the performance of our cities by those who live in them,” Property Council CEO Peter Verwer said. “Australians know what makes a great city and they rate our cities poorly in public transport, roads and traffic congestion, environmental sustainability and housing affordability."

The survey called, My City: The People’s Verdict, compiled the answers of 4,072 people in all capital cities in the country and was undertaken by Auspoll for the Property Council. It showcases Australian attitudes about the livability of their cities and government performance in urban policy.

Respondents ranked the importance of 17 key attributes of cities and assessed their own city against these attributes that combined to provide a liveability score for each capital city

Australians scored their cities highly based on the following attributes:

  • recreational outdoor environments (79% average city approval);
  • natural environments (76% average city approval);
  • cultural entertainment (74% average city approval); and
  • school and educational facilities (69% average city approval).

Australians were critical about their government’s performance in the following areas:

  • roads and traffic congestion (39% average city approval);
  • public transport services (36% average city approval);
  • environmental sustainability and climate change (33% average city approval);
  • providing quality affordable housing (31% average city approval).

Verwer said that the onus was now on authorities to respond to the survey with detailed policies.

“This survey is a great gift to all governments. It is the verdict of the people on what works and what doesn’t work, and it provides a blueprint for action,” Verwer said.“Australians want more livable cities and they know that the performance of our cities is critical for our future prosperity.”

He added: “We need a nation-wide effort to boost the performance of our cities to meet the challenges of the future: population, housing, infrastructure and climate change.”

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