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Forum for the Future's second annual Sustainable Cities Index tracks progress on sustainability in Britain’s 20 largest cities, ranking them on environmental performance, quality of life and future-proofing – how well they are addressing issues such as climate change, recycling and biodiversity.

Bristol has beaten Brighton to claim the top spot in this year's index, thanks in part to its impressive increase in recycling and composting rates - on which it moved up the rankings by 10 places - and its consistently high scores on water quality, waste collection and green spaces.

Brighton and Hove, last year’s winner, is rated highest for quality of life and future-proofing but came in second because of its comparative poor performance on the environment. It is commended for its transport services, education provision, green spaces, climate change strategy and recycling rates.

Plymouth, in third place, has the best environmental performance. Its top ranking in this table reflects water and air quality and the limited impact of its services, housing, transport and consumables on the environment, relative to other cities. It also scored well on employment, life-expectancy and recycling rates.

Newcastle jumped from eight to four, the only northern city in the top five. Its future-proofing activities improved its ranking, with green businesses and recycling rates.

But the report reveals that a clear North-South divide still exists. Southern cities tend to perform better in the quality of life indicators and all feature in the top 10, while the industrial heritage of the Midlands and North is reflected in lower life expectancy.

Edinburgh and Leeds, which both featured in the top five last year, have slipped further down the scale, dropping four and eight places respectively. Liverpool, Birmingham and Hull remain in the bottom four.

Not even the UK’s best-performing cities can match international leaders in sustainability like Stockholm, Portland in the US and Curitiba in Brazil, the report finds.

Overall city rankings

2008 rank (2007 rank)
1  (3)    Bristol
2  (1)    Brighton & Hove
3  (4)    Plymouth
4  (8)    Newcastle
5  (6)    Cardiff
6  (2)    Edinburgh
7  (7)    Sheffield
8  (14)   Leicester
9  (10)   London
10= (9)  Bradford
10= (11) Nottingham
12 (13)  Sunderland
13 (5)    Leeds
14 (17)  Coventry
15 (12)  Manchester
16 (16)  Wolverhampton
17 (20)  Liverpool
18 (15)  Glasgow
19 (19)  Birmingham
20 (18)  Hull