Buenos Aires and Santiago most liveable cities of Latinamerica

Thursday, June 11th 2009 - 06:39 UTC

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The Chilean capital is seen “as a gem of the security and order in the region”

Santiago de Chile is Latinamerica’s second best city in terms of “liveability,” according to a new report by British magazine “The Economist.”

The study, which evaluated 140 cities around the world in terms of stability, health, culture, environment, education and infrastructure, put Santiago in 64th place overall, with Buenos Aires just ahead in the 61st place. Santiago thus held on to the same position it had in the magazine’s 2008 report.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Santiago is among the best cities in Latin America,” said Patricia Arias, a security and citizenship expert at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences.

“Foreigners perceive the country as ordered, with strong institutions. It’s seen as a gem of security and order in the region.”

“Urban planning problems, pollution, and a weak infrastructure, including unpaved roads,” were factors counting against Santiago, said Arias.

Commenting on the Argentine capital’s higher ranking, she said: “Buenos Aires has a higher level of corruption than Santiago, but that’s balanced by the city’s public spaces, green areas, wide streets and friendliness. If we compare them, Santiago isn’t a very pretty city,” said Arias.

According to the report, the main factor counting against Latinamerican cities continued to be crime. This was a strong influence on the positions on the list of cities such as Mexico City (105th), Caracas (118th) and Bogotá (127th).

Colombia’s internal armed conflict continued to weigh heavily in perceptions of its capital, “but as a city, it is not seen as violent, and it is much friendlier than Santiago,” said Arias.

For the second year running, Vancouver was selected as the best place in the world in which to live. At the bottom of the list were cities in Africa and Asia, where civil conflicts and inadequate infrastructures present the main challenges.

By Cathal Sheerin - Santiago Times

Categories: Tourism, Argentina, Latin America.

Top Comments

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Ron Schooley
As American, I've been travelling most extensively thru the region. Both countries are wonderful indeed. Both are lovely to visit.

But this report has clearly a false statement about Santiago. It states that this city has “Urban planning problems, pollution, and a weak infrastructure, including unpaved roads”

Oh please THIS IS FALSE, stop talking against Chileans for God's sake! You Argentinians should stop that, understanding that Buenos Aires live on Tourism. Santiago is way much first world city, it has 5 lines of subways , underground highways, strict pollution laws (90% of the year has acceptable air quality), urban planning per neighborhood, most roads are paved when chileans are in summer vacations. The biggest urban park in the world with 17,000 SqFt. This is a fascinating eclectic city where the old meets the new. The argentinians should be lucky on having such outstanding neighbor and make Santiago-Buenos Aires Tour packs together, worldwide.

Yes, I lived in both cities. What about Buenos Aires “Outlaw old cars, no darkwater plants treatment!!?” Would you complain the report?
Jun 12th, 2009 - 04:44 pm 0
Gabriel
Ron, nowhere in this article have I seen Argentines talking against Chile, it is actually the other way around, we have a Chilean talking crap about Argentina... and, if you read more closely, it is written by the Santiago Times reporting on an English magazine’s article... so do me a favor, stop fomenting your hate... Thanks
Jun 13th, 2009 - 04:47 am 0
nitrojuan
Ive grown in Buenos Aires, for us Chilean, Paraguayan, Uruguayan, Peruvian are the same things.. Santiago have grown the latest decades, but have a great gap between richs and poor, Buenos Aires have a lot of cultural & educated middle-upper class citizens unique in Latin America. Here in Ushuaia, where I live happens the same, Ushuaia a development city and Punta Arenas (chile) a big city with a povertry habits.
Jun 13th, 2009 - 09:16 am 0

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