Sustainability of global cities held back by social factors, says new index
European cities lead the way on sustainability, taking seven of the top ten places in the inaugural ARCADIS Sustainable Cities Index. Frankfurt sits in first place, followed by London and Copenhagen.
- North American cities show room for improvement, failing to appear in the top ten most sustainable
cities - Asian cities show the most divergence, with Seoul, Hong Kong and Singapore in the top ten while
others make up the lower rankings - Developing cities have focused on economic sustainability, but must now focus on becoming centers
for people and environmental stewards
Across the world cities are failing to meet the needs of their people, according to the
inaugural Sustainable Cities Index from ARCADIS, the leading global natural and built asset design and
consultancy firm.
The Index, which was conducted by the Center for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) explores the
three demands of social (People), environmental (Planet) and economic (Profit) to develop an indicative
ranking of 50 of the world’s leading cities. The 2015 report finds that no utopian city exists, with city leaders
having to manage a complex balancing act between the three pillars of sustainability.
Overall the top ten and bottom ten cities in the 2015 ARCADIS Sustainable Cities Index are:
Top ten
1. Frankfurt
2. London
3. Copenhagen
4. Amsterdam
5. Rotterdam
6. Berlin
7. Seoul
8. Hong Kong
9. Madrid
10. Singapore
Bottom ten
41. Rio de Janeiro
42. Doha
43. Moscow
44. Jeddah
45. Riyadh
46. Jakarta
47. Mumbai
48. Wuhan
49. New Delhi
50. Nairobi
The full rankings can be viewed at www.sustainablecitiesindex.com
