Commercial Cafè recently identified the 50 cities in America that are making the largest strides toward improving the lives of their residents, as well as the ease of doing business, by embracing urban sustainability. Placing third overall, Denver achieved top 10 scores for its increase in green jobs and in LEED-certified building, as well as for the city’s growth in the adoption of green commuting.
The data ranks Washington, D.C. as the greenest lantern in the land, maintaining its high standards and urban development policies geared toward sustainability. In second place, New York City’s high walkability, growth in LEED certifications, and well-rated sustainability oriented policies pushed it up to second place.
According to the 2018 Citizen Centric Cities report released by Arcadis, sustainable urban centers are “places that are planned and managed with consideration for social, economic, environmental impact, providing a resilient habitat for existing populations, without compromising the ability of future generations to experience the same.”
For each city, the study looked at the reduction in CO2 emissions, improvements in air quality, differences over time in the share of walking and biking commuters, the increase in number of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications earned, the growth in environmentally focused occupations, as well as ratings given by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
