According to Arcadis' 2018 Sustainability Index, Sydney ranks 34th in the world for sustainability, and first in Australia.

Rankings are based on the three pillars of sustainability: people, planet and profit. These pillars are closely aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

London tops the rankings, followed by Stockholm, Edinburgh, Singapore and Vienna. Overall, European cities dominate the list of the most sustainable cities.

Australian cities all scored "middle of the road" on the index, according to Arcadis. All Australian cities performed well on people-focused measures, scoring well in health, education and digital enablement, moderately well in the profit pillar due to employment and ease of doing business, but all scored worse in the planet pillar, with greenhouse gas emissions and waste management common issues across all four cities.

"With no Australian city cracking the top 30 and one in the bottom 50, it's confirmation that we need to continue to focus on improving the long-term sustainability, resilience and performance of our cities to acts on the global stage," says Stephen Taylor, Australian cities director, Arcadis.

"Across our cities, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, we've seen a real shift over the last few years beyond green sustainability to social sustainability. Both government and private developments are increasingly focusing on how projects can better improve communities, including financial gains and community wellness.

"Despite the middle of the road rankings, the nation's strong focus on developing integrated transit systems, addressing affordability and embracing sustainability in construction are all positive signs for future improvement across the three pillars

Full 2018 Sustainable Cities Index rankings:

London
Stockholm
Edinburgh
Singapore
Vienna
Zurich
Munich
Oslo
Hong Kong
Frankfurt
Copenhagen
Amsterdam
Seoul
New York
Paris
San Francisco
Hamburg
Berlin
Seattle
Dublin
Madrid
Boston
Prague
Taipei
Ottawa
Vancouver
Rotterdam
Barcelona
Manchester
Toronto
Montreal
Glasgow
Tokyo
Sydney
Canberra
Geneva
Calgary
Birmingham
Washington
Rome
Macau
Milan
Antwerp
Brisbane
Los Angeles
Lyon
Brussels
Chicago
Wellington
Leeds
Houston
Philadelphia
Denver
Warsaw
Honolulu
Melbourne
Budapest
Moscow
Dallas
Pittsburgh
New Orleans
Lisbon
Miami
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Shenzhen
Kuala Lumpur
Baltimore
Phoenix
Atlanta
Detroit
Tampa
Beijing
Guangzhou
Athens
Shanghai
Santiago
Sao Paulo
Mexico City
Bangkok
Buenos Ares
Istanbul
Tianjin
Rio de Janeiro
Lima
Salvador
Wuhan
Chennai
New Delhi
Chengdu
Bengaluru
Johannesburg
Mumbai
Jakarta
Manilla
Nairobi
Cape Town
Hanoi
Cairo
Kolkata

Architecture & Design Team

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