Green space and sunshine are two of the secrets to Sydney’s high ranking in Knight Frank’s new City Wellbeing Index. Find out which cities made the top 10.
Knight Frank’s inaugural City Wellbeing Index benchmarked 40 cities against a host of factors, including personal security, lifestyle, healthcare, crime, work-life balance and access to green spaces.
The highest ranking in the City Wellbeing Index for Australasia was Sydney in seventh place, while Melbourne came in at number 11.
Oslo took home the top spot, followed by Zurich, Helsinki, Vienna and Madrid. Stockholm pipped Sydney to the post, in sixth position, while Amsterdam, Montreal and Singapore rounded out the top 10.
“Sydney’s overall ranking was influenced by being in the top 10 cities for green space and the hours of sunshine recorded each year,” says Knight Frank’s head of residential research in Australia, Michelle Ciesielski.
“Sydney has one of the highest proportions of green space of any city in the world, coming in at third place with 46 per cent of public space in the city comprising parks and gardens.”
Oslo has the highest green space of any city (68%), with Singapore second (47%).
“We also know Australia’s climate is a huge attraction, so it’s no surprise Sydney came in at number nine for annual hours of sunshine, with 2,592 hours,” Ciesielski adds.
“Liveability has always been high in Sydney and Melbourne, with both cities offering a high level of stability, environment and culture with world-class healthcare, education and infrastructure. This was also reflected in both being in the global top three liveable cities according to The Economist Intelligence Unit in 2019.”
The City Wellbeing Index was released in conjunction with Knight Frank’s Wealth Report, which tracks the movement of luxury residential prices in 100 cities and second home markets globally.
Sydney was the top ranked city in Australia, coming in at number 27 with 3.7 per cent annual growth, with Melbourne at 44 (2.2%).
Ciesielski says “the most important attribute being considered by the ultra-wealthy when choosing a new prestige home is the availability and quality of local wellness facilities, including healthy-eating options, gyms, spas and sports clubs”.
The three most important attributes, according to Knight Frank, are “how the property design contributes to physical and mental wellbeing, the energy efficiency and environmental friendliness of the building and access to nearby green spaces for recreation and leisure”.