Dubai is among the cities with the most impressive environmental progress in the world. According to Arcadis’ latest Sustainable Cities Index, Dubai is among the 50 most sustainable cities in the world. In addition to that, it is the most environmentally-friendly location in the entire Middle East and North Africa region.
Arcadis’ Sustainable Cities Index measures the environmental progress of various cities across the world. Also, it examines the way each of the locations caters to locals both economically and socially.
Dubai is the only MENA city listed so high on the ranking. The city is named the 33rd most sustainable in the world, followed by Abu Dhabi at the 34th spot. Other cities from the region, like Doha (41), Jeddah (43) and Riyadh (44) can also be seen on the list. However, they are outside the top 40. Therefore, most of MENA’s representatives on the ranking have a low score.
Frankfurt is this year’s most sustainable city. According to the report, the city has top the list thanks to its massive city forest and its various climate protection campaign. Apart from Frankfurt, Germany has a second representative on the list – Berlin. The city is listed at the 6th position. The Netherlands also has two cities on the index – Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Both of them are among the top 5 most sustainable locations.
London is second on the list. According to the research, that is due to its high real estate prices. In addition, the city’s infrastructure is described as aging and its air quality as poor. Nevertheless, together with Manchester and Birmingham, London is a mature sustainable city, which guarantees it a spot among the first on the ranking.
The highest ranked Asian city this year is Seoul. It occupies the 7th spot, folloed by Hong Kong at the 8th. Surprisingly, Singapore is now the 10th most sustainable city. The report explains that the city is losing positions because of its increasing property price, high cost of doing business, as well as the poor work-life balance. In addition, Singapore’s use of renewable energy is lower compared to many of the other cities on the list.
North America’s top representative is Toronto at the 12th position. It is also the only Canadian city that it made it to the list this year. All other cities from the region are located in the U.S. Of them, Boston leads at the 15th spot.
World’s top sustainable cities:
- Frankfurt
- London
- Copenhaghen
- Amsterdam
- Rotterdam
- Berlin
- Seoul
- Hong Kong
- Madrid
- Singapore
- 33. Dubai
- 34. Abu Dhabi
The least sustainable cities, this year, are mainly located in Asia. The only major exception is Nairobi, which is the least environmentally-friendly city, according to the index. India’s New Delhi and Mumbai are also at the bottom of the newest Sustainable Cities Index, along with China’s Wuhan and Manila, the Philippines.
