The World's 25 Cleanest Cities

#1 Calgary, Canada

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.