Brussels, 15 June. Oslo is the most sustainable city in the world, followed by Stockholm, Tokyo, Copenhagen and Berlin, according to an index of large cities by Dutch consultancy Arcadis, which places Madrid 28th and Barcelona 49th, which places Bogota (78th) and Mexico (79th) as first. Latin American countries.
The company ranks 100 large cities based on three sustainability axes relating to environmental, social and economic issues, criteria by which Oslo ranks first, seventeenth, and thirty-ninth, respectively.
The “Planet” category takes into account aspects such as air quality, green space or waste management, as well as public policies, energy consumption or carbon dioxide emissions, and investments in energy conversion.
The social (people) hub focuses on areas such as health, education, crime, income inequality or work-life balance, while the economic (benefit) book looks at concepts such as affordability, commercial transportation infrastructure, and ease of work. Or search for work or contact.
If Oslo tops the environmental rankings, Glasgow (UK) is ranked best large city in the social category and Seattle (USA) in the economic section.
“Prosperity is generally defined as economic productivity, but we can now see that to ensure true prosperity, cities must strive for sustainability,” the report’s authors say.
Europe, and Scandinavia in particular, stands out in the environmental and social pillar, while the United States dominates in economic issues.
Madrid appears in 28th place, as the first Spanish city and 17th city in Europe, located between Antwerp and Philadelphia. The Spanish capital stands out in the social (9) before the environmental (38) or economic (48).
Barcelona ranks 49th overall and the 27th city in Europe, between Denver and Macau and with precedence in the environmental sphere (17) over social (45) or business (57).
The capital of Colombia appears at the 78th position, as the first large city in Latin America in the ranking, reaching the 20th position in environmental aspects, a very prominent category with regard to social (82) and economic (82) issues.
“Bogotá is a city that strives for prosperity in terms of people and profits, but it is a beacon of light in its operating environment. It is the only developing city to appear in the ‘Top 40’ on the index, and ranks an exceptional 20.”
Mexico City appears 79th in the Arcades ranking, as the second largest city in Latin America and with a better environmental score (53) than social (83) or economic (77).
Followed by Santiago de Chile, ranked 80 (with a rating of 80 in environment, 78 in social aspects and 76 in economic aspects), followed by Lima (ranked 81 overall with 49 in environment, 81 in business, and 91 in social issues) and Buenos Aires (82 overall, 62 in environment and 84 in social and business).
They are also included in the ranking of the 100 largest cities in Brazil in São Paulo (84 in the common index, 44 in the environment, 78 in the business, and 94 in the social) and Rio de Janeiro (87 in the general index, with 48 in the environment, 83 in money and 96 in Social).
