The Economist's Intelligence Unit has released its 2017 Safe Cities Index.
Lianna Brinded shares the findings of the Safe Cities Index, created by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). According to Brinded, the EIU's Safe Cities Index is one of the most granular ways to determine the safest places in the world.
"The 2017 index ranked 60 major cities, scoring 49 indicators in the same four subindexes to get a final score out of 100," according to Brinded, and Tokyo came out on top. "Overall, Asian and European cities hit most of the top ten positions in the index."
For those North Americans keeping track at home, the safest city on this continent is Toronto, at number four. San Francisco is the safest U.S. city, coming in at number 15.
FULL STORY: Tokyo is the safest city to live in the world
Zurich, Geneva and Vienna: Best Quality of Life?
Central European cities lead the world in this assessment of 'quality of living.' The survey is oriented towards companies who could locate workers in those countries and need to calculate 'hardship allowances.'
Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems
SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Baker Creek Pavilion: Blending Nature and Architecture in Knoxville
Knoxville’s urban wilderness planning initiative unveils the "Baker Creek Pavilion" to increase the city's access to green spaces.
Pedestrian Deaths Drop, Remain Twice as High as in 2009
Fatalities declined by 4 percent in 2024, but the U.S. is still nowhere close to ‘Vision Zero.’
King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie