The World’s “Top Ten” Green Cities
The World’s “Top Ten” Green Cities
How does one compile a Top Ten, when it comes to sustainable cities?
What criteria should be analyzed and in which order of importance?
Should the qualifications be based on Air Quality, Bans on Single-Use Plastics, CO2 Emissions, Citizen Support, Education, Green Space, Infrastructure for Bicycles, Innovative Spirit, Liveability, Organic Farming and Local Food, Pollution, Recycling Rates, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Transport Systems, Trees Planted, Walkability, Waste policy, Water Quality?
Or should it be the historical performance, the sustainability shakers, and movers, the visionaries and world leaders in the fight against climate change?
Or the places with the best and most workable plans for the future?
Every one of these considerations is obviously valid and important, but how do we prioritize them?
Or what are the accepted standards on which to base scoring? WHAT IS THE TEMPLATE?
Well, that depends on who is compiling the list. There does not seem to be a concrete answer to this quandary.
Which is why, whilst there have been many such lists compiled, the results are often very varied.
STS has decided on a pragmatic approach to the question. We have reviewed a collection of TOP TENs, compiled recently, and based on a variety of factors, and scored cities based on how many times they appear on the lists, and in what positions.
Hopefully, this approach provides a table that reflects, as accurately as possible, the places that are leading the way currently in sustainability and so deserve their position in our very own list of The “Top Ten” Greenest Cities in the World. (Although, spoiler alert, there are twelve of them!!)
1st
Copenhagen.
STS Score: 64
Zealand & Amager, Denmark.
POP: 805,420 (2022)
Image: Brittanica
Regularly topping the charts in any Green City list, Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark has transformed itself over recent years. It is indisputably leading the way in what a more sustainable urban future should look like.
With almost 50% of Denmark’s energy derived from offshore wind farms and ongoing work to increase that percentage, the country itself is regarded by many as the most sustainable in the world.
Cyclists reign in Copenhagen, outnumbering motorists by around 5-to-1.
Only 29% of households in the city own a car and this has resulted in a drastic reduction in carbon emissions.
In 2012 the city launched an ambitious program to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025. Ten years later the dream is becoming ever closer to reality and once this is attained Copenhagen will be able to claim a new world first!
Copenhill (in the city’s Amager district) is the world’s largest waste-to-energy powerplant!
It incinerates 30 lorry loads of rubbish per day, which is transformed into clean energy to power the city.
Image: https://www.copenhill.dk/
This state-of-the-art facility has also been designed to provide healthy leisure pursuits for fitness-conscious Danes, with a massive Ski Slope (providing the opportunity to enjoy this sport in a predominantly flat landscape) as well as a trail for keen hikers and the world’s tallest climbing wall at 85m high!
Chuck in the fact that Queen Louise’s Bridge is the busiest cycling route in the western hemisphere (circa 35,000 cyclists an hour at peak) and that the harbour in the town centre contains water so pristine it is a joy to swim in, and you start to appreciate that Copenhagen fully deserves its number one spot!
Well worth a trip for the sportier eco-warriors, check out Copenhill below:
2nd.
Stockholm.
STS Score: 40
Sodermanland and Uppland, Sweden
Pop: 978,770 (2021)
Image: planetware.com
Stockholm is a role model globally for its proactive environmental and climate action.
The capital city of Sweden (the first country in the world to pass an environmental protection act in 1967), it was the first EU City to be awarded the accolade of “European Green Capital in 2010”
Depending entirely on renewable energy sources, Stockholm has targeted climate positivity by 2040, when it is also aiming to be totally fossil-free.
It is generally considered to have the highest number of Eco Hotels in the world, and there is a plethora of lovely parks, nature reserves, and public gardens throughout the city.
Its recycling capabilities are so large and efficient that reports indicate Stockholm is running out of rubbish!
It has begun taking in waste from other countries to process and recycle!
A great place to visit, check out the sustainable way to do so below:
3rd.
Vienna.
STS Score: 37
Vienna, Austria.
Urban Pop: 1,911,191 (2020)
Image: Viator.com
With nearly half of the city taken up with Green Spaces, Vienna tops Europe as far as parks, city farms, gardens, and allotments are concerned!
The city sets a lofty standard when it comes to conservation, circularity, clean air, wastewater management, and the transport network (of which around 50% of the inhabitants are fervently committed to using for their excursions).
And if you are visiting and feeling thirsty, all the taps city-wide provide natural spring water (from the Alps) to fill your water bottle!
A unique and exciting development is the “city within a city” Aspern Seestadt, a $6 billion project being built on the 240-hectare site of a former airfield.
This experiment in sustainable urban development is designed to accommodate Vienna’s growing population and boats a “smart energy” grid that can monitor usage to ensure optimum energy efficiency.
That this City which has inspired so many songs is taking sustainability so seriously will be “music to the ears” of all who care about the future of our planet!
For a closer look at the remarkable Aspern Seestadt, click on the link below:
4th.
Amsterdam.
STS Score: 34
North-Holland, Netherlands.
Pop: 905,234 (Wikipedia)
Amsterdam has set ambitious goals for the next 30 years. The Dutch capital has a decrease of carbon emissions by 95% by 2050 in its sights. (55% for 2030).
Other aspirations are to ensure that 80% of households have access to sustainable energy by 2030 and to terminate the use of natural gas by 2040.
Additionally, there are more bicycles than people in Amsterdam, which means you’d be hard-pressed to justify using a car!
However, if you really don’t fancy riding a bike there are over 300 vehicle charging stations citywide, which makes driving an Electric Vehicle the obvious alternative.
Committed to supporting local farmers, Amsterdam is a city that ensures the continuity of an abundant supply of homegrown or locally sourced organic food for its inhabitants.
Amsterdam has been dubbed the “bicycle capital of the world”. Click on the Guardian Article below to find out how it achieved this cult status!
5th.
Berlin.
STS Score: 33
Brandenburg, Germany.
Pop: 3,571, 000 (2022)
Image: timeout.com
Having cut CO2 emissions by one-third since 1990, the capital city of Germany has targeted becoming climate neutral by 2050!
Berlin is one of the world’s actual “greenest” cities too, with over 2,500 gardens, parks, and forested areas.
With 700 EV charging stations and plans to more than double that number, Electric Vehicles are well catered for in a city that already has greater usage of public transport than cars.
It also boasts the lowest rate of water consumption per capita in Europe.
With recycling systems designed to incentivize Berliners (€0.25 per plastic bottle for instance), interactive “green tours” are also available to stimulate and educate!
In Berlin’s “shopping mile” the Schloßstraße in Steglitz, there is a whole department store The NATURKAUFHAUS, dedicated to providing a comprehensive range of natural and sustainable merchandise.
Browse their website below for inspiration.
Joint 6th.
Madrid.
STS Score: 31
Madrid, Spain.
Pop: 3,223,334 (2019)
Image: tripsavvy
There is a huge urban forest being planted to encircle Madrid!
75km kilometres round, with nearly half a million trees, the project, planned to combat climate change and pollution is also designed to improve the air quality across the city.
The forest will be developed to tie in with the existing forest masses throughout the city (circa 300,00 trees, among 6,400 hectares) and is expected to absorb 175,000 tons of CO2 annually.
Other plans include upgrading 100% of the city’s street lighting to become more energy-efficient, realizing an energy saving of over 40%.
In 2018 the city introduced Madrid Central. The city centre became only accessible by public transport, or on foot, and all taxis were required to be eco-friendly.
For more information on the Madrid Urban Forest check out the link below:
Joint 6th.
Singapore.
STS Score: 31
Singapore.
Pop: 5,686,000 (2020)
Image: BBC
Only one of three surviving city-states in the world (along with Monaco and the Vatican City) Singapore has made great strides on its journey towards sustainability.
Following its unexpected separation from Malaysia in August 1965, Singapore faced an uncertain, not to say precarious, future!
Dirty and polluted, with high unemployment and lacking even proper sanitation the once prosperous British colony didn’t even have any natural resources it could fall back on.
However, the leaders at the time had foresight, and a clear vision, and set the fledgling independent state on a journey to economic prosperity while insisting that no development should be at the expense of the environment or social inclusion.
Fast forward to today and the combination of strong political leadership and the unflagging optimism and efforts of the population has resulted in a thriving “city in a garden” that is beautiful, green, clean, and sustainable as well as very economically prosperous (proving that the two separate aims are not mutually exclusive).
Natural Gas generates 95% of the electricity required by Asia’s greenest city and it is in the top 20 most carbon-efficient nations.
Image: CNN
Truly impressive and exciting are plans to build a 42,000 home eco ‘smart’ city, which, while space does not allow us to elaborate on here, is well worth delving into the detail of in the link below:
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/singapore-tengah-eco-town/index.html
7th.
Vancouver.
STS Score: 26
British Columbia, Canada.
Pop: 662,248 (2021)
There is no doubting the Green Credentials of this most ethnically and linguistically diverse of cities!
Vancouver has recently completed its 10-year Greenest City Action Plan which has resulted in sustainable transport systems, vastly increases recycling rates, and a significant uplift in the use of hydroelectricity, among other improvements.
Now boasting the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions of any major city in North America, Vancouver is also targeting becoming a world leader in urban food systems!
With a program in hand of retrofitting buildings citywide in order to increase energy efficiency, the fact that a number of prominent environmental movements, including the David Suzuki Foundation https://davidsuzuki.org/ and Greenpeace Canada, are based there only burnishes San Fransisco’s green credibility and it thoroughly deserves its world renown for green living and thinking!
8th.
Curitiba.
STS Score: 19
Parana, Brazil
Pop: 1,948,626 (2020)
Image: The Guardian.
This southern Brazilian city is hardly a household name, but it deserves to be due to its robust green credentials!
Recycling over 70% of its waste, to process reusable energy and other products, Curitiba also has an extremely effective public transport system (RIT bus rapid transport system) – a world first when launched in 1979 that facilitates travel throughout the city without residents needing to use personal vehicles.
In addition, the planning department regulates all urban developments to ensure any risk of congestion in the city is avoided.
To incentivize resident participation in the campaign to keep the city clean, Curitiba exchanges tokens, cash, and snacks for products or objects that can be recycled.
Additionally, with the enthusiastic support of its inhabitants, Curitiba has planted 1.5 million trees and opened 28 public parks over the last 40 odd years!
The city benefitted massively from the vision and input of one of its own, the former Mayor Jaime Lerner whose innovative and radical ideas not only transformed Curitiba but have been emulated by other conurbations with green aspirations the world over.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaime_Lerner
The city has deservedly been lauded as the “greenest city on earth” and the “gold standard” in sustainable urban planning.
Read more about the worlds first bus rapid transport network (BRT) by clicking on the link below:
Joint 9th
Canberra.
STS Score: 18
ACT, Australia.
Pop: 462,000 (2021)
Image: nationsonline.org
The Australian Capital recently became the first city outside Europe to transfer over to 100% renewable energy.
There is a heavy reliance on solar and wind farm sources to facilitate this switch.
The City offers loans of up to $15,000 interest-free to conservation-conscious Canberrans who wish to install solar panels, electric batteries, and other apparatus to increase their household energy efficiency.
Vehicles with zero emissions are granted two years of free registration too!
With a target of total carbon neutrality by 2045, Canberra’s Sustainability Strategy aims to increase the city’s walkability and the accessibility of public transport.
Although Canberra is joint ninth in the STS Green League, it was recently named as the world’s most sustainable city, according to the Canberra Times.
See the report below:
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7257624/canberra-named-worlds-most-sustainable-city/
Joint 9th
Munich.
STS Score: 18
Bavaria, Germany.
Urban Pop: 1,488,202 (2020)
Image: https://handluggageonly.co.uk/
Munich is renowned as among the world’s most walkable cities.
Englisher Garten, https://www.muenchen.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/orte/120242.html one of the many parks available to citizens is larger than New York’s central park and indeed is one of the largest in the world. It has 78km of cycling/jogging trails.
The introduction of Rapid Transport Systems is set to significantly cut vehicle ownership in the future!
Munich has achieved a level of air purity in an urban area that ranks among the highest in the world, and it has targeted a cut in CO2 emissions by half by 2030 (based on 1990 figures).
Another key aim is to utilize wind and solar power to provide 100% of the city’s energy.
And since 1st June 2021 planes at Munich Airport have been refuelling with Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), enabling airlines to reduce their CO2 emissions on flights from Munich!
https://www.munich-airport.com/press-green-light-for-sustainable-fuels-11068785
10th
San Fransisco.
STS Score: 15
California, USA.
Pop: 876,063 (2022)
Image: planetware.com
Crowned the Greenest City in North America in 2011, San Fransisco has remained in the forefront of that continent’s sustainability drive ever since.
The city basically went to war against plastic and landfill, and it is going to make sure the “enemy” is thoroughly trounced!
Education is the weapon San Fransisco wields to great effect, the inhabitants of the city given instruction on Waste Management and a range of tools and services to make it easy for them to work withy what they have learned!
Currently the city diverts circa 80% of its waste away from landfill and aims to make these disposal sites obsolete by 2030.
The first American city to ban first plastic bags and then plastic water bottles, San Fransisco also champions the cause of farmers and enthusiastically promotes organic produce.
There are almost certainly more farm-to-table restaurants here than anywhere else in the USA.
The birthplace of the venerable Sierra Club Foundation, https://www.sierraclubfoundation.org/ one of the first large-scale environmental organizations in the world, San Fransisco truly is a city steeped in sustainability!
Conclusion.
Thank you for reading our blog. No doubt there will be many of you who feel other cities should have been included, or disagree with some of the selections!
That’s why it is so difficult to pull together a definitive, incontestable table!
The good news is that wherever we live, and however we might consider our own city, or living place, is reacting to the challenges that face us all, everyone one of us can make a difference personally.
Through our own actions, and our commitment to doing what is going to help the planet (however small) we are not only playing our part, but we will be showing the way for others to follow!
We hope the list above has provoked some thought and inspiration!