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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST
A mall in Kolkata.

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 

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST
Napier Museum, Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram

Urban planning and design: 2.1

Urban capacities and resources: 2.5

Transparency, accountability and participation: 4.9

Average score: 3.9

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST
Bhopal

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

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST

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 

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST

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

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST

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

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST

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 

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST

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 

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST
Infiniti Mall in Mumbai

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 

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST

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

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST
 Jaipur Metro

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

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST
Students make a formation of a tree during a programme to create awareness to save trees and forests, in Chennai.

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

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST
Visitors walk inside Asafi Imambara, also known as Bara Imambara, in Lucknow.

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

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST
Ghat on the Ganges near Kanpur

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

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India's 15 best cities to live in

August 01, 2014 10:05 IST
A Durga Puja pandal, built in the shape of Eiffel Tower of Paris, is illuminated in Ranchi.

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