Metro Vancouver’s high housing costs and inadequate transportation has plunked it in the middle of the pack of 20 global cities when it comes social and economic vitality.

The latest economic scorecard by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, released today, suggests that while Metro remains one of the world’s most livable cities — it gets high scores for its clean air, large proportion of foreign-born residents and low homicide rate — its lack of affordable housing and long commutes are threatening business investment. Only Shanghai and Hong Kong are less affordable, according to the report, which ranked Metro Vancouver ninth overall out of the 20 cities.

“Anyone contemplating a move to the region faces exorbitant housing costs (and) this limits Greater Vancouver’s attraction to younger people who could represent its future,” the report states. “This represents a major barrier to retaining and attracting talent and therefore business investment. Unfortunately, the identification of causes and remedies for this clear and present danger is highly controversial.”

The report, which looks back to assess the changes that have shaped the region, ranked the cities on their strengths and weaknesses. Singapore topped the list, followed by Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Calgary and Seattle, while Halifax, Manchester, Shanghai, Los Angeles and Miami rounded out the bottom five. Other cities involved the study included Sydney, Houston, Montreal, Barcelona, San Francisco, Toronto, Portland, Seoul, Rotterdam, Halifax and Manchester.

The report noted that while the future looks bright for Metro Vancouver it is still facing challenges. These include lower labour productivity rates, land scarcity for port expansion, high marginal tax rate on capital for businesses and fewer head offices than cities of comparable size, and lower-than-expected educational attainment rates.