India's 15 best cities to live in

Kolkata has been ranked as India’s best city to live in the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems 2014 conducted by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship & Democracy. 

The cities were rated on four broad parameters: urban planning and design, urban capacities and resources, empowered and legitimate political representation, and transparency, accountability and participation.   

While cities like London and New York, scored 9.6 and 9.3 respectively on a scale of 10, the best city in India, Kolkata had a score of just 4.0.

Indian cities are grossly under-prepared to deliver a high quality of life that is sustainable in a long term, says the survey.

Janaagraha defines “Quality of Life to mean both quality of infrastructure and services, and quality of citizenship. Therefore City-Systems refer to factors that drive both these dimensions of Quality of Life.”

Take a look at India’s 15 best cities to live in… 

Kolkata

Rank: 1

Urban planning and design: 2.8

Urban capacities and resources: 3.6

Transparency, accountability and participation: 2.9

Average score: 4.0 

Which Indian city is the best to live in according to you and why? 

…

Thiruvananthapuram

Urban planning and design: 2.1

Urban capacities and resources: 2.5

Transparency, accountability and participation: 4.9

Average score: 3.9

…

Bhopal

Rank: 3

Urban planning and design: 2.3

Urban capacities and resources: 3.1

Transparency, accountability and participation: 4.6

Average score: 3.7

…

Patna

Rank: 4

Urban planning and design: 2.0

Urban capacities and resources: 3.7

Transparency, accountability and participation: 3.2

Average score: 3.6 

…

Delhi

Rank: 5

Urban planning and design: 3.5

Urban capacities and resources: 4.3

Transparency, accountability and participation: 2.4

Average score: 3.6

…

Raipur

Rank: 6

Urban planning and design: 1.7

Urban capacities and resources: 1.8

Transparency, accountability and participation: 4.4

Average score: 3.5

…

Surat

Rank:7

Urban planning and design: 2.2

Urban capacities and resources: 3.2

Transparency, accountability and participation: 3.5

Average score: 3.5 

…

Pune

Rank: 8

Urban planning and design: 1.8

Urban capacities and resources: 3.3

Transparency, accountability and participation: 3.6

Average score: 3.5 

…

Mumbai 

Rank: 9

Urban planning and design: 2.4

Urban capacities and resources: 4.0

Transparency, accountability and participation: 2.9 

Average score: 3.5 

…

Ahmedabad

Rank: 10

Urban planning and design: 2.2

Urban capacities and resources: 3.5

Transparency, accountability and participation: 8.9

Average score: 3.4

…

Jaipur

Rank: 11

Urban planning and design: 2.4  

Urban capacities and resources: 2.3

Transparency, accountability and participation: 2.7  

Average score: 3.3

…

Chennai

Rank: 12

Urban planning and design: 2.7

Urban capacities and resources: 2.1

Transparency, accountability and participation: 3.1

Average score: 3.2

…

Lucknow

Rank: 13

Urban planning and design: 2.3

Urban capacities and resources: 2.1

Transparency, accountability and participation: 3.9

Average score: 3.2

…

Kanpur

Rank: 14

Urban planning and design: 2.4

Urban capacities and resources: 1.9

Transparency, accountability and participation: 3.9

Average score: 3.2

…

Ranchi

Rank: 15

Urban planning and design: 1.7

Urban capacities and resources: 2.5

Transparency, accountability and participation: 2.5

Average score: 3.1