London
United Kingdom
London is an all-rounder, scoring well on all three pillars, with a particular strength in Planet. Out of the three pillars, its lowest rank is in Profit, where it still ranks a very healthy 23rd. London has particular strengths around the quality of its transport infrastructure and (to a slightly lesser extent) the sustainability of that transport infrastructure. It has an above average share of new EVs being registered there, but the quality of its EV charging infrastructure falls in the middle of our rankings, suggesting this may be an area for future investment. London's share of renewables within the energy mix is relatively high , so while the city is undoubtedly ahead of the curve, it still needs to invest in its energy transition. Overall, the UK ranks towards the bottom of our index when it comes to energy efficiency and still has high energy consumption per capita.
6
22
23
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
6
London
Manchester
Leeds
Birmingham
Manchester ranks in the top third of the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index 2022, with no notable weak pillars, but also no scores in the top quarter in any pillar. There are strengths to be celebrated across the board, but also an equally diverse range of areas in need of investment. Manchester’s transport infrastructure is among the world’s leading cities for the quality and accessibility of that infrastructure, and is the best connected English city outside of London. The areas where the most investment is required are energy (efficiency and share of renewables) and the sustainability of transport (like most UK cities, EV infrastructure is less developed compared to the leading cities in US, China, the Nordics and Singapore).
United Kingdom
Manchester
27
31
37
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
32
Overall Leeds scores very similarly to Manchester and Birmingham in the index, but it ranks highest of the three cities when it comes to the Planet score, lowest on the People score and in the middle on Profit, although the differences are small. Like the other cities, there is no pillar of defined weakness, but plenty of areas that are in need of investment. The sustainability of Leeds’ transport infrastructure requires investment, lacking EV infrastructure, with citizens having limited access to bike sharing services and scoring in the middle of the rankings for overall transport sustainability . Road infrastructure is also an area in need of investment.
United Kingdom
Leeds
22
35
38
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
34
Birmingham is without weak pillars in the index, but also without stand-out areas of strength. Although Birmingham scores towards the lower end of the UK cities, it would rank near the top of the UK cities if it scored only slightly higher in some of the pillars, and it still ranks overall in the top 40 cities globally. It is the UK’s most affordable city in the study, which puts it in a great position to attract talent and investment moving forwards. And with a healthy availability of green spaces, clean air and a very low exposure to environmental risk, Birmingham has plenty to be optimistic about in its environmental performance. However, Birmingham’s transport infrastructure needs investment to improve its sustainability, particularly when it comes to bicycles and EVs.
United Kingdom
Birmingham
25
33
41
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
36
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
UK & Ireland city spotlights
27
31
37
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
32
Glasgow
United Kingdom
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Dublin
Ireland
Glasgow scores a very impressive 13th in the index, behind only London in the UK, beating many other English cities in not just one but all pillars. The stand-out strength for Glasgow is the People pillar where it is the world leader due to a very high performance across the board, from amenities like transport, internet, education and healthcare, through to its healthy work-life balance. It’s also among the most affordable cities in the developed world, even more so than several Chinese cities. The only clear challenge that the Index picks up in the People pillar is around income inequality which is an area to focus attention. Here Glasgow’s peers are cities like Lagos and Bangkok.
United Kingdom
Glasgow
32
1
36
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
13
Edinburgh ranks well across the whole index in the with top twenty scores in both Planet and People. It places a very commendable 18th overall (12th in Europe). In particular, Edinburgh’s transport infrastructure is high quality and accessible to its citizens and is the least congested city in the UK. The city also has the UK’s cleanest air, its lowest environmental exposure, and most accessible green spaces. However, Edinburgh does require significant investment in its energy mix and energy efficiency both of which score notable low in the rankings, by UK standards and internationally. That puts its emissions on a par with Macao, and only just above Houston.
United Kingdom
Edinburgh
19
14
34
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
18
Dublin is an interesting city in the index which, unlike many UK cities, has clearly defined stronger and weaker aspects to its sustainability performance. Dublin places 37th overall in the index, driven by a particularly strong score in the People pillar (19), a healthy performance in the Planet pillar (28) but also a clearly defined area in need of investment when it comes to the Profit pillar (65). Dublin’s strong performance in the People pillar is driven in part by great internet, low crime rates, decent education and healthcare, but also a particular strength around income equality, where Dublin does better than any UK city. Another area of strength for Dublin is its bicycle infrastructure, comparable even to Amsterdam. However, Dublin’s transport infrastructure is an area in need of investment, scoring notably lower than UK cities, and instead finding itself comparable to Bangkok, Mexico City and New Delhi.
Ireland
Dublin
28
18
65
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
37
United Kingdom
London
United Kingdom
Leeds
United Kingdom
Glasgow
Ireland
Dublin
Glasgow scores a very impressive 13th in the index, behind only London in the UK, beating many other English cities in not just one but all pillars. The stand-out strength for Glasgow is the People pillar where it is the world leader due to a very high performance across the board, from amenities like transport, internet, education and healthcare, through to its healthy work-life balance. It’s also among the most affordable cities in the developed world, even more so than several Chinese cities. The only clear challenge that the Index picks up in the People pillar is around income inequality which is an area to focus attention. Here Glasgow’s peers are cities like Lagos and Bangkok.
United Kingdom
Glasgow
32
1
36
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
13
Edinburgh ranks well across the whole index in the with top twenty scores in both Planet and People. It places a very commendable 18th overall (12th in Europe). In particular, Edinburgh’s transport infrastructure is high quality and accessible to its citizens and is the least congested city in the UK. The city also has the UK’s cleanest air, its lowest environmental exposure, and most accessible green spaces. However, Edinburgh does require significant investment in its energy mix and energy efficiency both of which score notable low in the rankings, by UK standards and internationally. That puts its emissions on a par with Macao, and only just above Houston.
United Kingdom
Edinburgh
19
14
34
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
18
Dublin is an interesting city in the index which, unlike many UK cities, has clearly defined stronger and weaker aspects to its sustainability performance. Dublin places 37th overall in the index, driven by a particularly strong score in the People pillar (19), a healthy performance in the Planet pillar (28) but also a clearly defined area in need of investment when it comes to the Profit pillar (65). Dublin’s strong performance in the People pillar is driven in part by great internet, low crime rates, decent education and healthcare, but also a particular strength around income equality, where Dublin does better than any UK city. Another area of strength for Dublin is its bicycle infrastructure, comparable even to Amsterdam. However, Dublin’s transport infrastructure is and area in need of investment, scoring notably lower than UK cities, and instead finding itself comparable to Bangkok, Mexico City and New Delhi.
Ireland
Dublin
28
18
65
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
37
International
cities
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London
Amsterdam
San Francisco
Sydney
United Kingdom
Netherlands
United States of America
Australia
Glasgow scores a very impressive 13th in the index, behind only London in the UK, beating many other English cities in not just one but all pillars. The stand-out strength for Glasgow is the People pillar where it is the world leader due to a very high performance across the board, from amenities like transport, internet, education and healthcare, through to its healthy work-life balance. It’s also among the most affordable cities in the developed world, even more so than several Chinese cities. The only clear challenge that the Index picks up in the People pillar is around income inequality which is an area to focus attention. Here Glasgow’s peers are cities like Lagos and Bangkok.
United Kingdom
Glasgow
32
1
36
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
13
Edinburgh ranks well across the whole index in the with top twenty scores in both Planet and People. It places a very commendable 18th overall (12th in Europe). In particular, Edinburgh’s transport infrastructure is high quality and accessible to its citizens and is the least congested city in the UK. The city also has the UK’s cleanest air, its lowest environmental exposure, and most accessible green spaces. However, Edinburgh does require significant investment in its energy mix and energy efficiency both of which score notable low in the rankings, by UK standards and internationally. That puts its emissions on a par with Macao, and only just above Houston.
United Kingdom
Edinburgh
19
14
34
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
18
Dublin is an interesting city in the index which, unlike many UK cities, has clearly defined stronger and weaker aspects to its sustainability performance. Dublin places 37th overall in the index, driven by a particularly strong score in the People pillar (19), a healthy performance in the Planet pillar (28) but also a clearly defined area in need of investment when it comes to the Profit pillar (65). Dublin’s strong performance in the People pillar is driven in part by great internet, low crime rates, decent education and healthcare, but also a particular strength around income equality, where Dublin does better than any UK city. Another area of strength for Dublin is its bicycle infrastructure, comparable even to Amsterdam. However, Dublin’s transport infrastructure is an area in need of investment, scoring notably lower than UK cities, and instead finding itself comparable to Bangkok, Mexico City and New Delhi.
Ireland
Dublin
28
18
65
Profit
People
Planet
Overall rank
37