Frankfurt, Germany’s fifth largest city was crowned in 2015 to be number one in the ARCADIS Sustainable Cities Index. Their Sustainability study ranks 50 cities from 31 countries based on their social, economic and environmental impacts (or “people, planet, profit” as the study likes to put it). Frankfurt was on top for economy as well as environment, thriving in areas such as waste management and reducing air pollution. Frankfurt has a track record of proactively taking action to improve its sustainability, notes the report. 25 years ago, it created its own energy agency and pledged to reduce its CO2 emissions. Its latest master plan, “100 percent Climate Protection,” takes this further. This is among many other unique socio-economic achievements. By 2050, 100 percent of Frankfurt’s energy will originate from renewable sources delivering an anticipated 95 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.

John Batten, global cities director at ARCADIS said: “City leaders need to find ways to balance the demands of generating strong financial returns, being an attractive place for people to live and work in, whilst also limiting their damage to the environment. To truly understand how sustainable a city is, we must understand how it ranks in People, Planet and Profit. Only then can city leaders act to assess their priorities and the pathway to urban sustainability—for the good of all.”

Read the full report at: http://www.greenbiz.com/article/do-you-live-one-worlds-50-most-sustainable-cities