Welcome to the 2008 SustainLane US City Rankings! You'll find extensive coverage on the greening of the 50 most-populous cities in the nation on these pages, and the most complete report card on urban sustainability in America. This report benchmarks each city's performance in 16 areas of urban sustainability, including an essential new measurement this year: Water Supply. Forged in 2005 and now in its third edition, the peer-reviewed Rankings track the unfolding story of cities working to improve their residents' quality of life. In this story, some cities are becoming more self-reliant and better prepared for an uncertain future, while others have been slow to act on opportunities to green their municipalities.
We hope you enjoy reading through our work as much as we enjoyed creating it! Get started now with a closer look at our methodology, or a review of what makes a sustainable city. Or if you'd like, simply cut to the chase and check out the Rankings. We'll be continually updating these pages with stories from the field, so check back often. Thanks for visiting, and happy reading!
If you live in Portland, you might want to think twice before complaining about the 40-plus inches of rain dumped on your head every year. It might be the only thing keeping the entire country from moving to your city by the Prius-load. Portland retained its title as SustainLane's number one city to beat this year–not surprising given that it got a 30-year jump on the rest of the country.more »
For most of the 19th and 20th century, cities, despite the hardships and suffering experienced in ghettos, were seen as places where culture and intelligence concentrated and evolved. In the latter part of the 20th century, urban decay, environmental problems, and ethnic riots created a rush for the exits and rampant urban sprawl. Cities became more dangerous and inhuman. Post-war modernist planners and architects made matters worse by creating concrete monuments to themselves, hollowing out downtowns into commercial centers that felt like mausoleums at night...more »
Residents of the ethnically diverse port city of Oakland enjoy sunny days, clean air (thanks to Pacific breezes), locally-produced food, and public transportation ridership of over 20 percent. Since Mayor Ron Dellums took office in January of 2007, the city has also...more »
Columbus is a veritable Phoenix rising from ashes as the city shoots up a full 20 spots from its rank as dead last in 2006. Cities looking for sustainable inspiration need look no further than the Buckeye state. Columbus just adopted a master bike plan that will add a...more »
Picture this: New York City—without cars. It seems hard to believe, but that's what happened this summer along a seven-mile route inside Manhattan. In a test run that emulated similar initiatives in Paris, London and Bogota, streets between the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park were closed to traffic on three Saturdays, giving residents and tourists "car-free recreation corridors" where they could breathe deeply as they explored the city on foot or by bicycle. Along the route, folks were offered dance and percussion classes, hopscotch competitions, even valet bicycle parking.more »
Look no further than Detroit for the next trend in urban living. What’s so special about the 17-unit condo complex slated for construction near Wayne University? How about low-flow plumbing fixtures, tankless water heaters, energy efficient appliances, radiant floor heating, and a special paint that repels radiant heat. And as though all that were not enough, the condos will be constructed from old shipping containers—93 of them to be exact.more »
Submitted by Angela Herrmann
In the 2006 SustainLane survey of the 50 largest U.S. cities, Indianapolis didn’t rate so well. While Indy ranked 45th in its ability to weather an oil crisis, it fared slightly better in the Local Food and Agriculture rankings at 31st. Not surprising, given Indianapolis’ love-affair with all things automotive. But something has happened in Indianapolis since 2006: a growing awareness of sustainability.more »
In August of 2008, SustainLane spoke with David Assmann, deputy director of San Francisco’s Environment Department and communications manager, Mark Westlund. The city had just passed an ordinance requiring every employer to offer commuter benefits to employees. Assmann and Westlund told us that one of the major challenges San Francisco faces in the next 50 years is sea level rise. If the ocean rises one meter, Assmann says, the city’s international airport will be under water.more »
Ok, Angelenos, imagine this: a picturesque, 30-mile-long expanse of green, complete with parks and paths and planted with native, drought-resistant vegetation all along the Los Angeles River. Imagine rollerblading and pushing jogging strollers and barbecuing right on the banks of the historic waterway...more »
Submitted by Emmaly Wiederholt
I grew up in the southwest, where people start driving when they’re fifteen and stop when they leave this planet. My parents owned four cars while I was in high school, not because they have no regard for the environment, but because each driver in our household had separate places to be. In fact, my parents are fairly forward in their efforts to be green; the value of composting, recycling and gardening were instilled in me since childhood. A car for each driver just felt like a necessity.more »
Submitted by Mali Anderson
Here are some typical sights on my block of Milwaukee, WI. There are old cars in garages being souped up hobbyist mechanics who blare rock and roll music. There are lawns that are too green, too lush and require chemicals and noisy machines to maintain. Ladies stand on the sod, gossiping over backyard fences, lighting one cigarette after another. And there is one woman who actually vacuums birdseed off of her lawn. Those birds are just way too messy for her. These are the things I see daily.more »
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Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood. —Susan B. Anthony
How does age of a city affect how it performs? Take a look at how pre- and post-war cities measure up to each other.
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