It's no surprise, but European large cities come out as the big "winners" of this ranking. 7 of them are among the Top10. Frankfurt gets the 1st place, followed by London (2nd), Coppenhagen (3rd), Amsterdam (4th), Rotterdam (5th), Berlin (6th) and Madrid (9th). Three Asian cities made it to the top with Seoul (7th), Hong Kong (8th) and Singapur (10th) demonstrating that Asia is also seriously considering sustainibility as  the way to go for its future urban development.

 

In this report, Arcadis defines durability of cities with three essential factors:

 

quality of life (named "Individuals"), an evaluation of transportation infrastructures, health, education, income inequalities, balance between work and private life, dependancy rate and green spaces in cities; environment (named "Planet"), examining energy consumptions and renewable energies ration, recycling rates, greenhouse gas emissions, risk of natural disasters, drinking water, sanitation and air pollution. economy (named "Profit") a study of transportation infrastructures, how easy it is to conduct business, the importance of the city in the global economic networks, the cost of property and the cost of life, GDP per capita and energy efficiency.

 

This ranking makes us consider the sustainability of cities under a larger angle than the sole preservation of the environment and energy efficiency. It gives a more global vision of the city, while taking into account the specificities of each one of them, the unique constraints they encounter in their own development.

 

If European cities come on top, Asian cities (except for Seoul, Hong Kong and Singapur) are largely represented at the bottom of the index: Wuhan, New Delhi, Mumbai, Manille et Jakarta.

 

For North America, the report shows that the continent is waking up. If no American nor Canadian cities are part of the Top10, some, like Toronto (12th), Boston (15th and Chicago (19th) already started to catch up on improving their quality of life, their carbon print and in triggering their own green growth.

 

This study is meant to inspire other cities across the globe by showing what large cities do, what can be replicated or improved.

Watch the video via this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HfTUU3ow1E