UK cities score highly in the 2022 Sustainable Cities Index compiled by Arcadis

• Glasgow leads the way in the people ranking, beating Zurich (2) and Copenhagen (3)
• London (6), Glasgow (13) and Edinburgh (18) in top 20 overall
• Manchester sits mid table and needs to do more to tackle crime and income equality

London, June 14, 2022– Glasgow leads the way when it comes to the quality of life for the people who live there, according to Arcadis’ 2022 Sustainable Cities Index, which evaluates overall prosperity in 100 global cities. UK and Irish cities score highly in the overall Index, with London (6), Glasgow (13) and Edinburgh (18) recognized among the top 20 most sustainable cities.

The Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index 2022 ranks cities on three pillars of sustainability: people, planet, and profit. Comprising 51 different metrics across 26 separate indicators, together the three pillars signal overall prosperity and reflect the many intertwined services and outcomes cities need to consider in pursuing their sustainability goals. The research also features the various strengths and opportunities for cities across the globe, to simplify the complex factors that contribute to the overall urban experience.

The breakdown of UK and Irish results:

• London’s overall ranking was 6th, with its main strengths including transport, health, wi-fi and work-life balance. Its main weakness is crime.
• In first place for people and 13th place overall, Glasgow offers healthy, safe, well-connected environments and relatively low-income inequality, as well as high job quality. The city’s weakness is connectivity.
• Another Scottish city which makes the top 20 list overall is Edinburgh, which performed particularly well in both the people and planet categories.

While the top ten had the highest combined scores, no city ranked in the top ten across all three pillars of the report. This indicates that excellence in one category alone is not enough for long-term prosperity. As cities race to meet Paris Agreement commitments by 2030, placing equal value on all three pillars will yield the greatest results.

Peter Hogg, UK Cities Director at Arcadis, said:

“In the last two years, global change has been exponential. As cities have changed, Arcadis’ Sustainable Cities Index has changed with them. We focus more than ever on planet and people as well as profit. This has allowed us to assess the true prosperity of a city beyond its financial performance. This chimes with the direction of global change – and with our enduring brand commitment to improving quality of life.”

The 2022 edition of the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index marks Arcadis’s 5th consecutive report since 2015 and takes a holistic view of sustainability to highlight the evolving challenges facing cities, in light of the climate emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. Key data points when considering the cities’ overall ranking include environmental exposure to natural disasters, housing affordability and work-life balance.

The cities included were chosen to provide an overview of the world’s urban environment, geographical coverage, levels of economic development, future growth expectations and sustainability challenges. The indicators were evaluated by Arcadis subject matter experts, and the metrics were selected based on information available across all cities and source credibility.

The full report and methodology can be found here: The Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index 2022 | Arcadis

Global top 20 city ranking in Arcadis’ 2022 Sustainable Cities Index:

Where do UK and Ireland cities rank overall?