Bristol named UK's most 'sustainable' city » Housing » 24dash.com

Bristol has beaten Brighton and Hove to be named as Britain's most sustainable city in a report revealed today.

Bristol knocked Brighton and Hove from first place in the second annual Sustainable Cities Index, which ranks the 20 biggest British cities according to social, economic and environmental performance.

Three league tables measured environmental impact, quality of life for residents and "future-proofing" - how well cities were addressing issues such as climate change, recycling and biodiversity.

Brighton and Hove, last year's overall winner, was rated highest for quality of life and future-proofing but emerged second because of its comparatively poor performance on the environment.

Plymouth, which came third overall, had the best environmental performance, while Newcastle jumped from eighth to fourth place, making it the only northern city in the top five.

Bristol's triumph was in part thanks to its impressive rise in recycling and composting rates and its high scores on water quality, waste collection and green spaces, the report noted.

Brighton and Hove, meanwhile, moved up the environmental rankings since last year but not enough to stop Bristol claiming the title of Britain's most sustainable city.

The East Sussex seaside city was commended for its transport services, education provision, green spaces, climate change strategy and recycling rates.

Plymouth's top ranking in the environmental table reflected its water and air quality and the limited impact of its services, housing, transport and consumables on the environment.

It also scored well on employment, life expectancy and recycling rates.

Newcastle's future-proofing activities improved its ranking, with green businesses and recycling rates helping it move four places in the overall score.

But the report revealed a clear North-South divide.

Southern cities tended to perform better in the quality of life indicators and all featured in the top 10, while the industrial heritage of the Midlands and the North was reflected in lower life expectancy.

Peter Madden, chief executive of the Forum for the Future, said: "Leaders with passion and drive, who put sustainability at the heart of their vision, can create thriving cities which offer their people a high quality of life, respect their environment, and have the resilience to cope with the changes climate change will bring."

Edinburgh and Leeds, which both featured in the top five last year, slipped further down the scale, dropping four and nine places respectively.

Liverpool, Birmingham and Hull remain in the bottom four, while London is up one place to ninth.

Not even the UK's best-performing cities can match international leaders in sustainability such as Stockholm, Portland in the US and Curitiba in Brazil, the report found.

Mr Madden called for a redoubling of efforts by UK cities.

He said: "I'd like to see some shining examples of what makes a truly sustainable city here on home turf, so that we can not only inspire other UK cities to follow, but can also be the inspiration for cities around the world."

To view the full report, go to www.forumforthefuture.org/files/Sustainable_Cities_051108_links_final.pdf

Here is this year's overall city rankings:

1. Bristol
2. Brighton & Hove
3. Plymouth
4. Newcastle
5. Cardiff
6. Edinburgh
7. Sheffield
8. Leicester
9. London
10= Bradford
10= Nottingham
12 Sunderland
13 Leeds
14 Coventry
15 Manchester
16 Wolverhampton
17 Liverpool
18 Glasgow
19 Birmingham
20 Hull