Abstract:  This paper establishes an evaluation system of urban livability with 5 first-level indexes as standard，including safety level，comfort level，happiness level，convenient level and development level，and 6 second-level indexes，18 third-level indexes，38 fourth-level indexes. With the method of AHP and Delphi，the livability of 4 municipalities directly under the central government，26 provincial capitals and 4 prominent habitability cities between 2006 and 2011 is analyzed. The results show that the composite indexes of Shenzhen，Beijing，and Shanghai at high level and have significant advantages in all habitable elements. The regional core cities have a strong influence on the livability level of the whole region. The spatial differences of urban human habitability quality are significant，and present similar zonal spatial distribution characteristics like economic development and the zonal spatial distribution of habitability quality is characterized by the decreasing from the east to the west and from the south to the north. The economy is not deciding factor，but is the main factor in the differences of urban human settlement environment，and is the prerequisite of improving urban human settlement environment. Therefore，promoting the economic development and improving the urban economic strength is still the main development direction for the cities. The regional differentiation of the livable elements is not similar with composite index differentiation; presents the different regional differentiation characteristics. Cities with higher grades have not been developing comprehensively and the urban habitability in different regions has different advantages in secondary indicators level. Eastern China has comparative advantages in all aspects expect the urban security. North China has obvious advantages in science and education while the level of health leisure in southern China is highest. Each aspect of the urban livability is distinctive in different district. The ecological environment，infrastructure，public services and urban and rural gap should been taken enough attention to eliminate the short boards to achieve the comprehensive improvement of urban human settlement environment quality.

Key words: livable city, livability assessment, AHP}Delphi method, spatial differentiation