Cities in the Persian Gulf region have been named among the least sustainable in the world in a new global index.
Three cities – Doha, Jeddah and Riyadh – languish in the bottom 10 positions of the inaugural Sustainable Cities Index from Arcadis, the global natural and build asset design and consultancy firm.
Dubai was named the most sustainable city in the region but still only managed to be placed 33rd out of 50 cities surveyed.
The Index, which was conducted by the Center for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) explored the three pillars of sustainability – people, planet and profit.
Globally, Frankfurt, London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam led the way on sustainability while Persian Gulf states struggled to make an impact with Dubai (33), Abu Dhabi (34), Doha (41), (worst for environmental) Jeddah (43) and Riyadh (44). For planet sustainability, Doha was ranked the worst in the world by the index.
Hisham Malaika, Jeddah City executive of Big Urban Clients at Arcadis, said: “Our world is changing at a faster pace than ever before. Developing technology, population growth and the emergence of a truly global economy mean that the notion of national borders is becoming less relevant.
“The Sustainable Cities Index highlights the areas of opportunity for cities, to inform decision-making and hopefully make them more sustainable economically, environmentally and for the welfare of their inhabitants.”
