Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 5.3
Map of Green Index scores for major cities in Europe. (Source: Compiled by author from
Green Index for European Cities, Economist Intelligence Unit
2012
)
rarely allowed. It also reflects the lower adoption of sustainable practices in recent
years, a function of halting economic growth and less commitment to these issues.
San Francisco tops the chart of North American centres with other west coast
centres also scoring highly, while New York and Boston are both in the top six
(Fig.
5.4
). Detroit, a city in major decline, has the lowest scores, with Cleveland and
St. Louis also scoring poorly. It is also worth noting that many of the cities of the
southern Sunbelt states also have low scores, largely a consequence of their sprawl,
low density and excessive dependence upon cars.
In the major cities on the other continents, precise scores could not be calculated
because of the absence of accurate data, so only ranking into five broad categories
could be obtained. Still the results are informative in showing how most of the
cities in the developing world are in the lowest categories. Only the city state of
Singapore and Curitiba in Brazil registered in the top category, with the later city
receiving the 2010 Global Sustainable City award, a consequence of the innova-
tive master plan that guided the city from its 1950s boom. At the other end of the
scale are five large cites located in Latin America (Guadalahara and Lima), Pakistan
(Karachi), Tanzania (Dar es Salaam) and Mozambique (Maputo), places that have
