Engineering Inc - May/June 2017 - 55

2016 Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index

Top 100 Sustainable Cities
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Zurich 74.6%
Singapore 74.1%
Stockholm 73.9%
Vienna 73.4%
London 73.2%
Frankfurt 70.6%
Seoul 69.6%
Hamburg 69.2%
Prague 69.1%
Munich 68.6%
Amsterdam 68.2%
Geneva 68.1%
Edinburgh 68.1%
Copenhagen 68%
Paris 67.6%
Hong Kong 66.8%
Berlin 66.7%
Canberra 66.6%
Rotterdam 66.6%
Madrid 66.3%
Sydney 66.3%
Rome 65.2%
Vancouver 65%
Barcelona 64.1%
Manchester 63.4%

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New York 62.9%
Wellington 62.8%
Montreal 62.7%
Antwerp 62.4%
Brisbane 62.4%
Birmingham 62.4%
Melbourne 62%
Toronto 61.7%
Boston 61.7%
Dublin 60.6%
Glasgow 60.5%
Warsaw 60.3%
Leeds 60.2%
San Francisco 60.1%
Brussels 60%
Macau 59.6%
Milan 59.5%
Seattle 59.4%
Washington, D.C. 59.3%
Tokyo 59.1%
Lisbon 58.6%
Lyon 58.3%
Taipei 57.8%
Denver 57.5%
Los Angeles 55.9%

U.S., and initiatives are underway that may boost its green profile
even more. PlaNYC, an engineering-intensive initiative, is evolving the city's image of grit and grime into a more people-friendly
destination thanks to targets for reducing carbon emissions, networks of bike paths and a pedestrian mall in the formerly car-congested Times Square. "Projects like these are propelling New York
into a strong urban brand in terms of sustainability," Batten says.
The city recently expanded PlaNYC's objectives with targets for
more housing that's affordable for a broad range of incomes to keep
police and fire professionals, nurses, teachers and others in the city.
"The more diverse a city is, the more vibrant it is," Batten explains.
Resiliency in the age of climate change has also become a priority. The city upgraded building codes to prepare for extreme
floods and winds in the wake of 2012's destructive Superstorm
Sandy. Arcadis and other engineering firms are actively involved in
fortifying vulnerable areas of Manhattan and other boroughs. One
of the most prominent initiatives is the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, which will create levees, flood gates and other storm
defenses in lower Manhattan. "Sitting on top of them is expected
to be parkland and recreational facilities for the downtown community," Batten says.
On the West Coast, Los Angeles (No. 50 in the overall Sustainable Cities Index and No. 60 for planet) has set goals for improving business, environmental and lifestyle characteristics with its
Sustainable City pLAn. A year into the initiative, the mayor's
office says the plan helped reduce water use by 19 percent. The
city's efforts got a boost in the last election when voters approved
Measure R, a multidecade infrastructure project for expanding
metro and regional rail service, adding to the rapid transit system,
earthquake-proofing bridges and other improvements.

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Philadelphia 55.9%
Dubai 55.9%
Baltimore 55.5%
Miami 55.4%
Kuala Lumpur 55.2%
Dallas 55%
Moscow 53.9%
Abu Dhabi 53.7%
Houston 53.5%
Chicago 53.4%
New Orleans 52.6%
Pittsburgh 52.5%
Atlanta 52.3%
Shenzhen 52.1%
Indianapolis 52.1%
Athens 51.8%
Bangkok 51.2%
Tampa 51.1%
Detroit 51.1%
Kuwait City 50.5%
Santiago 48.5%
Doha 48.1%
Beijing 47.1%
Shanghai 46.7%
Muscat 46.3%

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Riyadh 45.9%
Istanbul 45.9%
Guangzhou 45.9%
Sao Paulo 45.3%
Buenos Aires 44.9%
Jeddah 44.7%
Rio de Janeiro 43.2%
Lima 43.1%
Mexico City 42.8%
Tianjin 42.5%
Amman 42.4%
Hanoi 42.3%
Jakarta 41.3%
Chennai 40.9%
Johannesburg 40.8%
Bengaluru 40.7%
Mumbai 39.9%
Chengdu 39.4%
Wuhan 37.7%
Cape Town 37.4%
Manila 36.8%
New Delhi 36.5%
Nairobi 34.8%
Cairo 34.4%
Kolkata 30.8%

In the Midwest, Chicago (No. 60 overall and No. 67 for
planet) is continuing its Sustainable Chicago program, which is
developing more than 225 miles of bike lanes and expanding a
bike-sharing program. The Department of Water Management
is replacing 100 miles of water and sewer lines a year, while the
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is investigating more
energy-efficient technologies for the city's water infrastructure.
TAKEAWAYS FOR ENGINEERS

Whether sustainability starts with resiliency efforts, greenways
or expanded mass transit resources, the projects create positive
ripple effects for communities and the engineering industry in
particular.

Following Superstorm Sandy, New York is fortifying
vulnerable areas. One initiative is the East Side
Coastal Resiliency Project, which will create levees,
flood gates and other storm defenses.

MAY / JUNE 2017

ENGINEERING INC.

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