What about North American cities? The index found they have a lot to learn from their international peers. Vancouver was the continent’s leader at 23rd in the overall ratings, while U.S. cities failed to enter the top quartile. The closest contender was New York City at 26th place…Infrastructure differences help explain why European cities outpaced U.S. and Canadian counterparts. Many European urban centers were settled before the automobile age and, as a result, are densely settled and supported by well-established public transportation systems. However, many American cities outside the Northeast grew with automobiles in mind. “Carcentric designs can lead to urban sprawl and a large carbon footprint, with enormous costs,” Dalkmann says. “Those are fundamental challenges for U.S. cities in terms of sustainability.”
View this complete post...
RSS Feed