To aid efforts
and understanding in this field, the European
Green City Index seeks to measure and rate the
environmental performance of 30 leading European
cities both overall and across a range of
specific areas. In so doing, it offers a tool to
enhance the understanding and decision-making
abilities of all those interested in environmental
performance, from individual citizens
through to leading urban policymakers. The
methodology was developed by the Economist
Intelligence Unit in co-operation with Siemens.
An independent panel of urban sustainability
experts provided important insights and feedback
on the methodology. This study is not the
first comparison of the environmental impact of
European cities, nor does it seek to supplant
other worthwhile initiatives, such as the European
Urban Ecosystem Survey or the European
Green Capital Award. Instead, its value lies in the
breadth of information provided and in the form
in which it is presented. The index takes into
account 30 individual indicators per city that
touch on a wide range of environmental areas
— from environmental governance and water
consumption to waste management and greenhouse
gas emissions — and ranks cities using a
transparent, consistent and replicable scoring
process. The relative scores assigned to individual
cities (for performance in specific categories,
as well as overall) is also unique to the index and
allows for direct comparison between cities.