- Arcadis’ Sustainable Cities Index 2024 reveals major disparities in sustainability progress as cities race to meet 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Amsterdam takes top spot as the most sustainable city thanks to strong economic performance, social equity and investments in renewable energy, followed by Rotterdam (2nd), Copenhagen (3rd), Frankfurt (4th) and Munich (5th).
- Metro Manila remains in the bottom half of the SCI at 93rd, highlighting the need for significant improvement and opportunities to learn from other leading cities to address sustainability challenges.
31 July 2024 – Leading global design and consultancy Arcadis has released the Sustainable Cities Index 2024, revealing an urgent need for accelerated action in tackling climate change and other sustainability challenges. With less than six years remaining until the 2030 deadline for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the report serves as a reminder of the work cities must undertake.
The Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index (SCI) ranks 100 global cities across three pillars of sustainability: Planet, People and Profit. Marking the sixth edition of the report since its inception in 2015, it comprises 67 metrics to highlight our evolving understanding of urban sustainability.
Key data points in the SCI consist of air pollution, waste management and investment in low-carbon infrastructure such as renewable energy and sustainable transportation. Factors such as economic performance, social equity and resilience to natural disasters are included as well.
This year, for the first time, Arcadis has added a fourth pillar, ‘Progress’, to the SCI. It measures change over time to demonstrate the impact of sustainability interventions made over the last decade. When considered alongside the other pillars, it provides insights into a city’s future trajectory and emphasizes the importance of continuous advancement to achieve the SDGs.
In the 2024 index, Metro Manila ranked 93rd out of 100 cities. While its highest score was in the Planet pillar (77th), highlighting efforts towards emission reduction and renewable energy, its ranking fell in the People (91st) and Profit (84th) pillars. Notably, it finds itself in the "Cities lacking momentum" category within the Progress pillar, suggesting overwhelming challenges and limited progress on sustainability initiatives in recent years.
The score in the Planet pillar mirrors the Philippines’ commitment to emission reduction and renewable energy sourcing through green policies and strategies. However, it also highlights areas for improvement, particularly in air and water pollution, access to drinking water and the availability of green spaces, among other indicators.
Efforts to address challenges in the Planet pillar include the Philippine Energy Transition Strategies under the Philippine Energy Plan for 2023-2050 and the submission of the country’s first Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) report in 2021. The NDC indicates the commitment to reducing and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions by 75%, 2.71% of which are categorized as unconditional, between 2020 and 2030 for the agriculture, waste, industry, transport and energy sectors.
Meanwhile, the "Cities lacking momentum" designation in the Progress pillar underscores the need for more proactive planning and bolder action to meet the 2030 SDG deadline. Studying successful initiatives and established policies implemented by those in the "Cities with early momentum" and "Cities with sustained momentum" categories can offer valuable lessons and inspiration for the Philippines moving forward.
Katherine Ann Resurreccion, Service Line Director for Sustainability Solutions at Arcadis Philippines, said:
“Our ranking in the Sustainable Cities Index 2024 is a reminder of our long journey ahead and underscores the significant strides we still need to take to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. While challenging, this reality also presents an opportunity for growth, innovation and further collaboration by the public and private sectors to drive the necessary changes to create more a sustainable and equitable city.
The government’s role in crafting policies and regulations is paramount, as these frameworks will shape a city’s trajectory — affecting various facets such as infrastructure investments and urban planning decisions. Complementing governmental efforts, it is crucial for us in the building and construction sector to likewise embrace our pivotal role conscientiously. Our built environment choices profoundly impact resource utilization and our path toward a sustainable, decarbonized future. Collective efforts from both the public and private sectors are critical in steering our cities towards resilient and responsible growth, promoting a balanced approach towards economic, social and environmental sustainability.”
Overall Results
Overall, European cities dominate the top of the SCI. Notably, all four German cities in the SCI — Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg and Berlin — claim spots in the top 10, buoyed by achievements in water sanitation and waste management as well as low greenhouse gas emissions.
High performance in the Planet pillar is associated with overall success, as evidenced by nine of the top 10 cities for Planet also securing positions in the overall top 10. The Planet pillar is comprised of metrics like sustainable energy systems and low-emission transport, suggesting these are powerful tools for urban sustainability and should be focal points for cities looking to effect meaningful change.
This year’s SCI also highlights the encouraging finding that high performance on the Profit metric does not necessarily come at the expense of environmental sustainability. The report emphasizes how a thriving economy should support investment in infrastructure, alternative energy sources, green initiatives and social programs. Amsterdam, the most sustainable city of 2024, ranks at the top of the Profit pillar, where it excels in income and living standards, employment and transport infrastructure.
Nevertheless, North American cities also dominate the Profit pillar. San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, New York and Seattle are among the top 10 for Profit, thanks to ease of doing business, GDP per capita and employment rates. However, while these cities boast robust business success, their lower overall rankings demonstrate how wage levels and living standards are not keeping pace with holistic, sustainable growth. To move higher up, inclusive development strategies will be critical, and the report makes clear that North American and European cities must draw inspiration from each other to continue making sustainable progress across all pillars.
When it comes to progress over the last decade, many European cities have continued to make significant strides — despite their highly sustainable starting points — to cement their position at the top of the SCI. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg and Berlin have all sustained momentum to feature in the top third of the Progress pillar and the top 10 of the SCI overall. This is thanks to, in the case of Amsterdam in particular, a commitment to renewable energy production as well as socio-economic factors such as female labor force participation and healthcare.
Meanwhile, although appearing low in the overall rankings, the dominance of Asian cities such as Jakarta, Wuhan and Shanghai at the top of the Progress pillar demonstrates that, in cities with limited prior sustainable infrastructure or practices, early steps can have an enormous impact on generating momentum for further advancements.
For more information, please download the full report here.
