Download the Sustainable Cities Index 2010

Cities with strong visions of a successful future lead the 2010 Sustainable Cities Index which is sponsored by GE.

Newcastle, top for the second year running, and Leicester, in second place, are outpacing rivals Brighton, Bristol and London. But all five have set themselves ambitious targets and are guided by long-term visions of how to improve life for their citizens by reducing their impact on the environment and seizing new opportunities in the green economy.

Newcastle, which was eighth in 2007, has extended its lead over a tight cluster of four rivals. “Sustainability is right at the top of our agenda, and we intend to keep it there,” said Barry Rowland, Chief Executive of Newcastle City Council.

It has placed itself at the centre of an increasingly vibrant clean tech cluster in the North East and aims to become a world class centre of science and innovation, benefiting economically and socially from the green economy. It aspires to become the UK’s “electric car capital” and has started installing 580 charging points in the region.

Leicester, in 14th place four years ago, is second and leads on environmental performance. It has the lowest ecological footprint, produces the least household waste and is best at managing its biodiversity. It has a strong climate change plan, a high recycling rate and an emerging new business sector pursuing opportunities in sustainability and environmental management.

Brighton, third, scores well for quality of life and future-proofing, with a healthy, highly skilled population and a vibrant economy, but high-consumption lifestyles give it the worst ecological footprint of any city.

Bristol falls to fourth place but retains the top spot in the quality of life basket, with a low unemployment rate, highly skilled and qualified residents, and improving school standards.

London is fifth and comes top on future-proofing with strong new plans to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change and the highest level of business start-ups. It has the longest life expectancy, but by far the worst air quality and one of the largest ecological footprints.

Overall city rankings

Click on city for detailed factsheet.

2010 rank (2009) [2008] {2007}

1. Newcastle -----(1)-------[4]------{8}
2. Leicester-------(4)-------[8]-----{14}
3. Brighton--------(3)-------[2]------{1}
4. Bristol-----------(2)-------[1]------{3}
5. London---------(5)-------[9]-----{10}
6. Leeds-----------(6)------[13]------{5}
7. Coventry------(11)-----[14]-----{17}
8. Plymouth------(12)------[3]------{4}
9. Edinburgh------(7)-------[6]------{2}
10. Sheffield--------(9)-------[7]------{7}
11. Cardiff---------(10)-------[5]------{6}
12. Nottingham----(8)------[10=]---{11}
13. Manchester---(14)-----[15]-----{12}
14. Liverpool------(15)-----[17]------{20}
15. Birmingham--(17)----[19]------{19}
16. Sunderland---(13)-----[12]------{13}
17. Derby – First year in index
18. Bradford------(16)-----[10=]-----{9}
19. Glasgow------(19)-----[18]------{15}
20. Hull------------(20)-----[20]------{18}