Brussels has climbed the ranks to be labelled the 17th most sustainable city globally, performing particularly well on environmental factors and quality of life for citizens.
According to the Sustainable Cities Index by engineering and consulting company Arcadis, Brussels ranks 17th among 100 cities included in the report, having shot up from 38th place in the last index published in 2022.
Antwerp – the only other Belgian city on the list – ranked 29th overall, having fallen by two places since the previous report.
Planet, people, profit and progress
The index is compiled using data points across four key pillars: planet, people, profit and progress. The planet pillar examines environmental factors such as air pollution, green spaces, energy production and green policy. Under people, the report measures quality of life factors such as health, education, income inequality and work-life balance.
The profit pillar analyses the business environment, including how affordability and living standards impact access to a workforce, as well as business infrastructure. The newly-added progress pillar measures change over time to show the impacts of sustainability interventions taken in different cities.
The report notes that Brussels performed particularly strongly in the planet and people categories (ranking 11th and 12th of 100 cities globally). It mentioned that Belgian cities have a lower average number of hours worked a year, "indicating a positive work-life balance".
However, when it comes to profit-generating factors, Brussels falls to 52nd on the list, and the city ranks only 36th on progress over time.
Antwerp also performed well on environmental factors (ranking 17th under the planet pillar), but its performance was weaker under people (41st), profit (63rd) and progress (34th) pillars.
The skyline of Antwerp. Credit: Belga / Jasper Jacobs
The report found that overall, European cities "dominate" the top end of the sustainability rankings, with Amsterdam securing first place off the back of its Climate Neutral 2050 roadmap, which sets out a strategy for the city's carbon emissions to be reduced by 95% compared to 1990 levels.
However, Arcadis Global Cities Director John Batten said that "much more needs to be done" for cities to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
"As the 2030 deadline approaches, cities must build on their successes, identify areas for progress, and foster collaboration to address challenges with ever greater urgency and determination," he said.
