HONOLULU NAMED U.S. CITY WITH BEST QUALITY OF LIVING

Mayor Mufi Hannemann said he is very pleased that Honolulu has been named the U.S. city with the best quality of living, and is ranked internationally ahead of Paris, London, Tokyo, Milan and many other well-known cities in the 2009 Mercer Quality of Living Survey.

“We who know and love Honolulu understand that it is a special place with special people and qualities that are found nowhere else in the world,” Mayor Hannemann said. “I’m very proud of Honolulu, and I’m honored to be mayor of the city with the best quality of living in the nation.”

While Honolulu ranked best in the U.S., it was 29th in the world for quality of living. Vienna ranked first, followed by Zurich and Geneva. Vancouver and Aukland tied for fourth.

The rankings are based on a point-scoring index, and cities are ranked against New York as the base city with an index score of 100. Mercer’s Quality of Living ranking covers 215 cities and is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments, according to Mercer.

The report is based on detailed assessments and evaluations of 10 key categories and 39 criteria or factors, according to Mercer, which describes itself as “the global leader for trusted HR and related financial advice, products and services.” The company has more than 18,000 employees serving clients in over 180 cities and 40 countries and territories worldwide.

The report categories include the political and social environment; economic environment; socio-cultural environment; medical and health considerations; schools and education; natural environment; public services and transport; recreation; consumer goods; and housing.

More information about the report is available at: http://www.mercer.com/summary.htm?idContent=1173105 and http://www.mercer.com/qualityofliving#Key_features_and_benefits

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Media contact: Bill Brennan, Mayor’s Office, 768-6928