The most liveable cities in the world in 2024, and other news reports

For PropertyGuru’s news roundup, the list of the top 9 most liveable cities in the world in 2024. In other news, Vietnam wants couples with two children to be given priority in buying homes at social housing projects. Finally, the Hong Kong government recovered around 5,000 subsidised rental units allegedly “misused” by “rich tenants” amid a crackdown on public housing abuse.

The most liveable cities in the world in 2024: Discover the top quality of life locations globally

The pursuit of an ideal city has long been a topic of debate among architects and urban planners. In addition to aesthetic identity and cultural heritage, the quality of life in every city represents perhaps the most important marker in this pursuit. This year, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister company of The Economist, has released its Global Liveability Index 2024, highlighting the cities that excel in this ongoing quest. For the third consecutive year, Vienna ranked as the most liveable city in the world. European cities Copenhagen, Zurich, and Geneva also rank high, attributed to their smaller populations, which contribute to lower crime rates and less congestion. In comparison with the 2023 ranking, the numbers for North American and Australian cities have been dragged down by the ongoing housing crisis.

ArchDaily lists the top 9 most liveable cities in the world in 2024; two of them are in Australia and one in Japan.

Couples with two children should be prioritised to buy social housing in Vietnam

The Vietnam Association of Real Estate Brokers (VARS) has proposed couples with two children are given priority in buying homes at social housing projects, as a solution to encourage marriage before the age of 30 and increasing the birth rate.

The association said that during the past 30 years, the trends of marriage and birth rates in Vietnam have changed dramatically. The average age of marriage has increased sharply while the marriage rate continues to decrease, causing the birth rate to fall by half.

VARS said in the VietnamPlus report that financial problems are the major cause.

Vietnamese tend to think that they must buy a house before getting married or having children, but with skyrocketing housing prices and rents, which weigh heavily on living costs, they are forced to work hard and skip the golden time to get married and have children.

5,000 Hong Kong public housing units recovered in 2 years amid crackdown on ‘rich tenants’

The Hong Kong government has recovered around 5,000 subsidised rental units which had allegedly been “misused” by “rich tenants” amid a crackdown on public housing abuse.

HKFP reports that Rosanna Law, director for housing, told Commercial Radio on Saturday that by taking back the units, the government had saved around HKD5 billion.

“It currently costs around HKD1 million to build one public housing unit, therefore HKD5 billion could build 5,000 units. And it also takes years to build new estates,” Law said in Cantonese. “However, these surrendered units only take a few months to refurnish, and then we can begin reallocating [them to people on the waiting list for public housing].”

The Property Report editors wrote this article. For more information, email: [email protected].