[Property Report] It’s official: Singapore, Seoul ranked Asia’s most sustainable cities
Asia was well-represented in the 2016 edition of Arcadis’ Sustainable Cities Index, with Singapore and Seoul firmly in the top 10.
With only Zurich in the way, Singapore stands as the world’s second most sustainable city, claiming the top spot in the Profit sub-index, which measures sustainability from a business and economic perspective. The city-state also topped all other cities in terms of ease of business and tourism, two of six indicators under Profit.
Seoul, on the other hand, bested such European capitals as Prague (ranked ninth) and Paris (15th) to rank seventh globally, maintaining the same position last year. On the People sub-index, which measures quality of life, the city placed number one, propelled by its rankings in the health and education indicators.
Hong Kong is the third most sustainable Asian city, ranking 16th overall. The Chinese SAR ranks second on the Profit sub-index, next only to Singapore.
“The Asian cities of Singapore and Hong Kong rank highly in profit performance, but this seems to be straining social sustainability,” the report states. “Factors such as the high cost of living mean these cities, sitting first and second in the profit rankings, place 48th and 81st respectively for people.”
Sixteen of the top 20 positions on the main index went to European cities, with Stockholm, Vienna and London rounding out the top five. No Asian city placed in the top 10 of the Planet sub-index, which ranks cities according to environmental indicators.
Although beset by air pollution issues, Beijing managed to rank at the 83rd position, while Shenzhen and Shanghai hold the 64th and 74th positions, respectively.
Other Asian cities in the top 100 include Macau (41st), Tokyo (45th), Taipei (48th), Dubai (52nd), Kuala Lumpur (55th), Abu Dhabi (58th), and Bangkok (67th). Kolkata placed dead last, with Manila and New Delhi slightly ahead.
In the Pacific region, Canberra was rated 18th most sustainable city in the world, besting other Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne, while Wellington was ranked 27th.