Melbourne may have been named the world's most liveable city for the seventh year in a row, but a glaring infrastructure problem in the suburbs means it doesn't deserve the title, an internationally renowned city planner has said.

Key points: City planner from Vancouver — which Melbourne knocked off top spot in 2011 — questions list

City planner from Vancouver — which Melbourne knocked off top spot in 2011 — questions list Melbourne is too car-dependant, he says

Melbourne is too car-dependant, he says Suburbs need better cycling, walking, transport infrastructure

The Economist once again ranked Melbourne as the world's most liveable city this year, beating out Vienna and Vancouver for the title.

But Brent Toderian, the chief planner for Vancouver from 2005 to 2012 when the Canadian city held the title, gave a reality check to those celebrating.

He told ABC Radio Melbourne neither Melbourne nor Vancouver really deserved the accolade.

"Melbourne is not the most liveable city in the world, because outside an outstanding downtown, you have pretty ordinary or below-average suburbs," he said.

"There's a lot about liveability and lovability that you can't count, so there's great quality of life and qualitative issues, subjective issues about why people love their city, love their neighbourhood, even if other people don't necessarily love it."

Brent Toderian argues Melburnians spend too much time in their cars. ( AAP: Julian Smith )

Mr Toderian now advises cities around the globe, including in Australia and New Zealand.

Top five most liveable cities: 1. Melbourne 2. Vienna 3. Vancouver 4. Toronto 5. Adelaide, Calgary

He said Melbourne's inner city was world class, but its suburbs were too car-dependant and lacked public transport, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.

"You seem to focus an awful lot of attention on the fact you have the largest tram network in the world, which I love, but you don't have the land use and the density around the trams to lead to higher ridership," he said.

"You treat density in Australian cities, although it's changing in some of them, like a dirty word.

"Smart density, what I call density done well, is the key to not just ridership on transit, but the key to giving people choices and options other than being trapped in their car for everything."

What makes a complete city?

Mr Toderian — who also does work for the Heart Foundation, which is based in Melbourne — said Austria's Vienna actually had a stronger case for being the most liveable.

"Can you be the most liveable city in the world if you're not the most walkable city in the world?" he said.

Vancouver was named the world's most liveable city from 2005 to 2010. ( Twitter: City of Vancouver )

"How do you take that success in the inner city and start to make better suburbs, more walkable suburbs, less car-dependant, more bike-able suburbs, more transit-friendly suburbs?

"That's not about forcing people out of their cars, it's about giving people options. Really hard to have a credible conversation about liveability when you haven't solved that issue."

Mr Toderian said while he loved Melbourne, it was not a complete city.

"Is liveability enough, and are liveable cities boring cities? It gets into this big conversation about how to build a great city, a complete city," he said.

"I was an adviser for two years for Medellin, Colombia, which was 20 years ago the murder capital of the world. This was Pablo Escobar and guerilla warfare.

"In 20 years they have transformed themselves, taken their streets back, invested in infrastructure for walking, biking and transit that would make every Australian city envious, and they did it all really fast because they had this incredible common vision.

"Now the Wall Street Journal calls them the most innovative city in the world."

'Melbourne really takes it seriously'

Mr Toderian said the rankings system used by The Economist was focused on high-ranking executives who got placed around the world and fuelled competitiveness among politicians, rather than taking into account what life is like for locals.

Melbourne lacks good cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, Brent Toderian says. ( ABC News: Stephanie Anderson )

He also noted that, of the four main liveability lists around the world, Melbourne was only dominant in one.

"It's more about the absence of war and crime than it is about what's special about Melbourne's lanes, for example," he said.

"It's all very subjective. Take them [the rankings] with a grain of salt.

"The greatest cities in the world, you talk about New York and London, but you don't talk about those cities necessarily when you talk about the most liveable city in the world.

"Don't go overboard. There was more anxiety about the release of the rankings here than I remember ever existing in Vancouver, you folks really take it seriously."