Population: 988,193
Metro area: 5,107 square km
Calgary is the fastest growing city in Canada and has been known in the past as a center for oil and gas. Today it has taken on an added attraction in sports and is becoming more sought by tourists. It has light manufacturing. It was chosen by the Economic Intelligence Unit as a leading city to live in.
#2 Honolulu
Population: 377,260
Metro area: 272 square km
Honolulu is a tourist center and has light manufacturing. It has an excellent public transit system with dedicated bus right of ways that has been singled out for praise by the American Public Transportation Association.
#3 Helsinki, Finland
Population: 564,908
Metro area: 185 square km
Helsinki is Finland's gateway to international trade and communication. It is the political capital of the country and its business, media and cultural center. It has a slightly aged tram and subways system and a light rail commuter system.
#4 Ottawa
Population: 859,704
Metro area: 2,778 square km
Ottawa is Canada's capital and its fourth-largest city. Its economy revolves around a mix of government functions and high tech business. It is called the Silicon Valley of the north. Ottawa has an operating light rail system for transportation.
# 5 Minneapolis
Population: 382,618
Metro area: 151 square km
Minneapolis is the largest city in Minnesota and is clearly a twin city with St. Paul. It is the state's media, business and cultural center. It makes heavy use of bike lanes but also has a well functioning light rail and bus system.
#6 (Tie) Oslo, Norway
Population: 548,411
Metro area: 454 square km
Oslo is Norway's capital and largest city. It is a maritime center for the country, and shipping companies constitute a major business. It has the largest cargo port in Norway.
#7 (Tie) Stockholm, Sweden
Population: 780,818
Metro area: 35 square km
Stockholm is the political and economic capital of Sweden. It specializes in large line of service industries, and the city is nearly devoid of heavy industry. As the country's financial center, it's also where mansion corporations have their headquarters, and it has a renowned transportation system.
#8 (Tie) Zurich, Switzerland
Population: 366,809
Metro area: 91 square km
Zurich is Switzerland's largest city and has a global presence. It is the cultural capital of German-speaking Switzerland. It has been described as the city with the highest quality of life in the world. It enjoys high speed trains, expressways, trams, buses and has a high rate of traffic.
#9 Katsuyama, Japan
Population: 26,961
Metro area: 253 sq km
Katsuyama is a small city in the Fukui Prefecture with a large presence in sports such as skiing and in tourism. It is also well known for its major dinosaur museum. It is a new city, having been founded in 1954.
#10 (Tie) Bern, Switzerland
Population: 127,000
Metro area: 52 square km
The capital of Switzerland, Bern is a cultural and shopping center as well. Its economy, beyond the national governmental functions, is in high tech and financials. It is known for being a major producer of dairy products and chocolate.
# 11 (Tie) Montreal
Population : 1,620,693
Metro area: 393 square km
Montreal, Canada's second-largest city, is a major area for commerce, industry, culture and world affairs. It has a significant presence in electronics, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals. It has a wide array of public transportation, including subways, buses and commuter lines.
#12 (Tie) Vancouver, Canada
Population: 587,891
Metro area: 114 square km
Vancouver, in British Columbia, is Canada's major port and a significant air terminal. It is a center of forest product and mining companies. It has emerged as an important place for software development, biotechnology, and the film industry. It has a broad array of public transportation including trams, interurban trains, ferry services and is mostly clear of motorways.
#13 (Tie) Boston
Population:
Metro area:
#14 (Tie) Lexington, Ky.
Population: 260,512
Metro area: 73 square km
Lexington is known as the Athens of the West and as the Horse Capital. It has moved on from there with some manufacturing, a concentration on technology and considerable educational services. It has a public transit system that is mainly buses, a full range of highways and considerable traffic for a clean city.#15 (Tie) Pittsburgh
Population: 316,718
Metro area: 151 square km
Pittsburgh is Pennsylvania's second-largest city. Though formerly a steel capital of the U.S., it has turned around and is now into healthcare, education, robotics, technology and financial services. It is a city of bridges with mass transit, buses and Amtrak.
#16 (Tie) Nürnberg, Germany
Population: 500,132
Metro area: 186 square km
A city with a broad array of industries: automotive, electronic, optical and with a strong presence from Siemens. It is deeply involved in industrial research. The city has many motorways, high speed rail, trams, buses and a metro system, and yet it is rather clean.
#17 (Tie) Geneva
Population: 186,526
Metro area: 15 square km
Geneva, the second-largest city in Switzerland is an international services center situated on Lake Geneva with a global presence that involves governmental services, international trade and finance. Its transportation network is most noted for its trolleys and trams, but it also has extensive rail and bus service.
#18 Auckland, New Zealand
Population: 1,260,900
Metro area: 1,086 square km
Auckland to a great extent depends upon an extensive road system for transportation. It is the largest city in New Zealand, the largest port and holds over a quarter of the population. It does, however, have a network of rail lines, buses (limited) and ferry service. It combines commerce and industry with the headquarters of many international corporations.
#19 (Tie) Wellington, New Zealand
Population: 179,446
Metro area: 290 square km
Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and the political center. It has many cultural offerings for the size of the city. It is considered a place of high quality for living. It has a public transit system that includes buses, trains, rail and ferries.
#20 Dublin, Ireland
Population: 505,739
Metro area: 114 square km
Dublin is at the heart of Ireland. It is the capital and seat of government as well as the center of culture, media, communications and high tech labs and educational institutes. Its transportation consists of buses, light rail, walkways and cycle paths. Its most famous manufacturing is beer.
# 21 (Tie) Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Population: 741,329
Metro area: 219 square km
Amsterdam is a major port and a center for large Dutch corporations like Philips and Heineken. It is very bicycle friendly, and the city discourages car traffic in the downtown area. The city has a ring road for car traffic.
#22 (Tie) Toronto
Population: 2,503,281
Metro area: 630 square km
Toronto is the largest city in Canada and situated along Lake Ontario. It is the economic center of a large region and specializes in finance, telecommunications, media and software development. It has the third-largest public transport system in the Western hemisphere.
#23 Lyon, France
Population: 465,300
Metro area: 47 square km
Lyon is the third-largest city in France and is known for its gastronomy as well as its cinema production and business services. It supports a public transit system including a metro, bus lines, train lines and extensive bicycle opportunities.
#24 Copenhagen, Denmark
Population: 503,699
Metro area: 88 square km
Copenhagen is Denmark's capital and largest city with a new bridge to Sweden. It offers programming and other intellectual capital services. It has unique pedestrian walkways and shopping. The city offers public bicycles as well as having trams, bus service and train lines for further out commutes.#25 (Tie) Kobe, Japan
Population: 1,523,948
Metro area: 550 square km
Kobe is part of the region called Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. It is a port city and a city of bridges. It has rail lines, expressways and supports some manufacturing. It is known for having headquarters of national and international companies.
Friday, 29 February 2008
The World's 25 Cleanest Cities
#1 Calgary, Canada
The World's 25 Dirtiest Cities
No. 25: Port Harcourt, Nigeria
No. 24: New Delhi, India
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 46.6
You'll find just about everything except marine life in New Delhi's Yamuna River. Garbage and sewage flow freely, creating a rich environment for the growth of water-borne diseases contributing to extremely high rates of infant morbidity.
No. 23: Maputo, Mozambique
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 46.3
Located on the Indian Ocean, the Eastern African country of Mozambique suffers from lack of sanitation processes--specifically the lack of a solid waste removal system as well as sewage treatment. The capital city of Maputo feels the worst of these consequences. Piles of garbage line the streets, and the sewage in the river is visibly thick.
No. 21: Niamey, Niger
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 45
The Niger River Basin, home to Niger's capital city, Niamey, is a cesspool of pollution and waste. In a country with a total population just under 14 million, the healthy life expectancy at birth is 35 for males and 36 for females, thanks in part to poor sanitation and drinkable water. About one in four children raised here will die before age 5, the World Health Organization says.
No. 20: Nouakchott, Mauritania
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 44.7
Located in northern Africa, Mauritania sits on the North Atlantic Ocean between Senegal and the western Sahara. Nouakchott, the country's capital, is located on the western coast. Due to the desert-like climate, droughts and water management are critical issues for the country. Oil deposits off the coast and iron ore serve as the country's main industrial opportunities, but the majority of the population depends on farming.
No. 19: Conakry, Guinea Republic
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 44.2
Life expectancy, infant morbidity, and the percentage of the population that has access to safe water are shockingly low for Conakry, the capital city of Guinea Republic. Previous World Bank initiatives in Conakry focused on water supply and sanitation have not proved very successful.
No. 18: Lome, Togo
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 44.1
Lomé, the capital city of Togo, sits in the southwest near the country's border with Ghana. Water and waste management has become one of the country's main problems as a large percentage of the population continues to live without access to improved water or sanitation. Extensive flooding in Togo only magnifies the problem.
No. 17: Pointe Noire, Congo
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 43.8
The second Congolese city on the list suffers from many of the same pollutants as its neighboring city, Brazzaville--air pollution from vehicle emissions and unbridled water contamination from the mass unloading of raw sewage in the city's water supply. According to the CIA WorldFactBook, about 70% of the Congolese population live either in Brazzaville or Pointe Noire or along the railroad track, which connects the two.
No. 16: Bamako, Mali
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 43.7
Bamako, the capital of Mali, and the country's largest city is situated on the Niger River. Rapid population growth, coupled with unbridled urban pollution, are among the many health and sanitation challenges facing the capital. Several droughts have caused migration from rural areas to the urban environment of the capital, which has only led to more water management issues.
No. 15: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 43.4
A recent World Bank study shows that cancer and respiratory disease rates are up due to increased air pollution in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. Increased levels of benzene, from motorbike petrol, and increased dust particles, amounting on average to nearly three times the WHO-stated healthy limit, contribute to these rising numbers. In a city characterized by a rainy season, waste management and sanitation also face challenges.
No. 14: Moscow, Russia
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 43.4
In a city where you can pay $3,000 a month for an apartment that doesn't even have clean running water, Moscow also has troubling levels of air pollution, which present a daily strain on lung health.
No. 13: Bangui, Central African Republic
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 42.1
Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, faces water and sanitation challenges similar to its neighboring countries' capitals. A rapidly increasing population, coupled with a lack of adequate waste and water management, places stresses on the capital city.
No. 12: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 40.4
The capital of this east African country continues to grow populationwise, putting a stress on the city's sanitation programs. Solid waste, entering the Msimbazi River, contributes to widely spread infectious diseases among the population.
No. 11: Ndjamena, Chad
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 39.7
Ndjamena, the capital city of Chad, faces multi-faceted water management challenges. A main site for concern here is the Conventional Basin of Lake Chad, upon which the country's main fisheries greatly depend. Also noteworthy--the continual influx of population growth, accelerated by the migration of neighboring Sudanese refugees from Darfur, which places an unexpected strain on water management.
No. 10: Brazzaville, Congo
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 39.1
Air pollution from emissions, lack of potable water and the contamination of the city's water from raw sewage contribute to the laundry list of health and sanitation concerns for Brazzaville, the capital of Congo. Each of these press upon the life expectancy of the local population.
No. 9: Almaty, Kazakhstan
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 39.1
The marriage of petroleum-based industry and insufficient safeguards against pollution sets the stage for an environmental crisis in this city. Toxic waste dumps require a huge price tag for improvement and an even larger price for neglect.
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 39
Poor water quality in Baghdad threatens to exacerbate the the transmission of water-borne diseases in the city. Fatal outbreaks of cholera struck several provinces of the country, including Baghdad from August 2007 to December 2007. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) also says air pollution, resulting from burning oil and aggravated by war, is cause for concern.
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 38.2
India's government hopes to transform Mumbai back into a burgeoning metropolis after recent economic decline. A recent private-sector report, Vision Mumbai, proposed changes in infrastructure, pollution control and economic growth strategy, which contributed to the seeking of approximately $1 billion of aid from Indian government.
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 37.9
Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, faces one of the worst sanitation problems on both the continent of Africa as well as in the world. The lack of adequate sanitation programs results in infant mortality, low life expectancy and the transmission of water-borne diseases.
No. 5: Mexico City, Mexico
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 37.7
Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, and the capital of North American air pollution, estimates unhealthy ozone emissions nearly 85% of the year. Mexico's geographical location--in the center of a volcanic crater and surrounded by mountains--only serves to lock in the air pollution, causing smog to sit above the city.
No. 4: Port au Prince, Haiti
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 34
The country's politically inspired violence and corruption are well documented. Equally dangerous: its air and water. Serving as one of the main ports on the island of Hispaniola, Port au Prince is central to Haiti's economic development. A lack of pollution controls, however, contributes to the widespread environmental problems confronting the Haitian city.
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 30.1
Madagascar, located off of the southeastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, makes this year's list with its capital city, Antananarivo. Well known for its variety of unique flora and fauna, Madagascar has often been referred to as the world's eighth continent, but the effects of the human population are quickly leaving their footprint.
No. 2: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 29.6
Located in southern Asia, between Burma and India, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh battles with the constant threat of water pollution. Surface water is often thick with disease and pollutants from the use of commercial pesticides. With an estimated 150 million people living in a relatively small area, cleaning up the problem won't be easy.
No. 1: Baku, Azerbaijan
Health and Sanitation Index Score: 27.6
Surrounded by Iran, Georgia, Russia and Armenia on the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan has long been an oil hub. As a consequence, Baku, the capital, suffers from life-threatening levels of air pollution emitted from oil drilling and shipping.
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 46.8
Problems with waste disposal continue to contaminate the rivers of Nigeria, especially affecting residents in Port Harcourt. The area lacks strategies for preventing oil spills and contamination, and the clean-up methods after disasters require significant improvement.
No. 24: New Delhi, India
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 46.6
You'll find just about everything except marine life in New Delhi's Yamuna River. Garbage and sewage flow freely, creating a rich environment for the growth of water-borne diseases contributing to extremely high rates of infant morbidity.
No. 23: Maputo, Mozambique
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 46.3
Located on the Indian Ocean, the Eastern African country of Mozambique suffers from lack of sanitation processes--specifically the lack of a solid waste removal system as well as sewage treatment. The capital city of Maputo feels the worst of these consequences. Piles of garbage line the streets, and the sewage in the river is visibly thick.
No. 22: Luanda, Angola
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 45.2
Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean to its west, Luanda is the city's largest port. Studies from several agencies, including UNICEF and Oxfam, suggest that a large portion of the population in Luanda drink water of poor and in some cases dangerous quality. Much of this portion of the population lives in settlements called musseques built on hardened waste. Water arrives to these settlements in private tanks, which consistently show concerning levels of chlorine. Water conditions such as this only served to intensify a cholera epidemic in 2006.
No. 21: Niamey, Niger
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 45
The Niger River Basin, home to Niger's capital city, Niamey, is a cesspool of pollution and waste. In a country with a total population just under 14 million, the healthy life expectancy at birth is 35 for males and 36 for females, thanks in part to poor sanitation and drinkable water. About one in four children raised here will die before age 5, the World Health Organization says.
No. 20: Nouakchott, Mauritania
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 44.7
Located in northern Africa, Mauritania sits on the North Atlantic Ocean between Senegal and the western Sahara. Nouakchott, the country's capital, is located on the western coast. Due to the desert-like climate, droughts and water management are critical issues for the country. Oil deposits off the coast and iron ore serve as the country's main industrial opportunities, but the majority of the population depends on farming.
No. 19: Conakry, Guinea Republic
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 44.2
Life expectancy, infant morbidity, and the percentage of the population that has access to safe water are shockingly low for Conakry, the capital city of Guinea Republic. Previous World Bank initiatives in Conakry focused on water supply and sanitation have not proved very successful.
No. 18: Lome, Togo
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 44.1
Lomé, the capital city of Togo, sits in the southwest near the country's border with Ghana. Water and waste management has become one of the country's main problems as a large percentage of the population continues to live without access to improved water or sanitation. Extensive flooding in Togo only magnifies the problem.
No. 17: Pointe Noire, Congo
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 43.8
The second Congolese city on the list suffers from many of the same pollutants as its neighboring city, Brazzaville--air pollution from vehicle emissions and unbridled water contamination from the mass unloading of raw sewage in the city's water supply. According to the CIA WorldFactBook, about 70% of the Congolese population live either in Brazzaville or Pointe Noire or along the railroad track, which connects the two.
No. 16: Bamako, Mali
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 43.7
Bamako, the capital of Mali, and the country's largest city is situated on the Niger River. Rapid population growth, coupled with unbridled urban pollution, are among the many health and sanitation challenges facing the capital. Several droughts have caused migration from rural areas to the urban environment of the capital, which has only led to more water management issues.
No. 15: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 43.4
A recent World Bank study shows that cancer and respiratory disease rates are up due to increased air pollution in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. Increased levels of benzene, from motorbike petrol, and increased dust particles, amounting on average to nearly three times the WHO-stated healthy limit, contribute to these rising numbers. In a city characterized by a rainy season, waste management and sanitation also face challenges.
No. 14: Moscow, Russia
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 43.4
In a city where you can pay $3,000 a month for an apartment that doesn't even have clean running water, Moscow also has troubling levels of air pollution, which present a daily strain on lung health.
No. 13: Bangui, Central African Republic
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 42.1
Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, faces water and sanitation challenges similar to its neighboring countries' capitals. A rapidly increasing population, coupled with a lack of adequate waste and water management, places stresses on the capital city.
No. 12: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 40.4
The capital of this east African country continues to grow populationwise, putting a stress on the city's sanitation programs. Solid waste, entering the Msimbazi River, contributes to widely spread infectious diseases among the population.
No. 11: Ndjamena, Chad
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 39.7
Ndjamena, the capital city of Chad, faces multi-faceted water management challenges. A main site for concern here is the Conventional Basin of Lake Chad, upon which the country's main fisheries greatly depend. Also noteworthy--the continual influx of population growth, accelerated by the migration of neighboring Sudanese refugees from Darfur, which places an unexpected strain on water management.
No. 10: Brazzaville, Congo
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 39.1
Air pollution from emissions, lack of potable water and the contamination of the city's water from raw sewage contribute to the laundry list of health and sanitation concerns for Brazzaville, the capital of Congo. Each of these press upon the life expectancy of the local population.
No. 9: Almaty, Kazakhstan
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 39.1
The marriage of petroleum-based industry and insufficient safeguards against pollution sets the stage for an environmental crisis in this city. Toxic waste dumps require a huge price tag for improvement and an even larger price for neglect.
No. 8: Baghdad, Iraq
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 39
Poor water quality in Baghdad threatens to exacerbate the the transmission of water-borne diseases in the city. Fatal outbreaks of cholera struck several provinces of the country, including Baghdad from August 2007 to December 2007. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) also says air pollution, resulting from burning oil and aggravated by war, is cause for concern.
No. 7: Mumbai, India
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 38.2
India's government hopes to transform Mumbai back into a burgeoning metropolis after recent economic decline. A recent private-sector report, Vision Mumbai, proposed changes in infrastructure, pollution control and economic growth strategy, which contributed to the seeking of approximately $1 billion of aid from Indian government.
No. 6: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 37.9
Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, faces one of the worst sanitation problems on both the continent of Africa as well as in the world. The lack of adequate sanitation programs results in infant mortality, low life expectancy and the transmission of water-borne diseases.
No. 5: Mexico City, Mexico
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 37.7
Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, and the capital of North American air pollution, estimates unhealthy ozone emissions nearly 85% of the year. Mexico's geographical location--in the center of a volcanic crater and surrounded by mountains--only serves to lock in the air pollution, causing smog to sit above the city.
No. 4: Port au Prince, Haiti
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 34
The country's politically inspired violence and corruption are well documented. Equally dangerous: its air and water. Serving as one of the main ports on the island of Hispaniola, Port au Prince is central to Haiti's economic development. A lack of pollution controls, however, contributes to the widespread environmental problems confronting the Haitian city.
No. 3: Antananarivo, Madagascar
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 30.1
Madagascar, located off of the southeastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, makes this year's list with its capital city, Antananarivo. Well known for its variety of unique flora and fauna, Madagascar has often been referred to as the world's eighth continent, but the effects of the human population are quickly leaving their footprint.
No. 2: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Mercer Health and Sanitation Index Score: 29.6
Located in southern Asia, between Burma and India, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh battles with the constant threat of water pollution. Surface water is often thick with disease and pollutants from the use of commercial pesticides. With an estimated 150 million people living in a relatively small area, cleaning up the problem won't be easy.
No. 1: Baku, Azerbaijan
Health and Sanitation Index Score: 27.6
Surrounded by Iran, Georgia, Russia and Armenia on the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan has long been an oil hub. As a consequence, Baku, the capital, suffers from life-threatening levels of air pollution emitted from oil drilling and shipping.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
