With the population set to soar to over 10 million in the next decade, average house prices fast approaching £0.5 million and its transport system struggling to cope at peak times, Arcadis is calling for greater financial autonomy to plan for future growth and a commitment to vital infrastructure like Crossrail 2 and further tube upgrades. While the research makes for good reading, a word of warning has been issued to policymakers in London. "London's economic diversity, multi-cultaralism, world class education system and abundance of good quality green space has propelled the capital to the top spot." It also performed particularly well for ‘quality of life’, taking the number two spot in the ‘People’ rankings. As one of the greenest capitals in the world, with over 3,000 parks and green spaces, it reached 11th globally for environmental sustainability. The city’s ease of doing business, top tourist attractions and multi-culturalism all combined to contribute to its success. Sitting at the top, London ranked second on the ‘Profit’ index of economic performance, beaten only by Singapore. The research also features new work on city archetypes and clusters aimed at explaining the implications of the rankings on the evolving relationship between the city and the citizen. In producing the league table, 100 global cities were ranked on social (people – reflecting quality of life) environmental (planet - capturing green factors, including energy, pollution and emission ) and economic (profit - reflecting the business environment and economic health) factors. The insights come as global consultants Arcadis release its 2018 Sustainable Cities Index which puts the UK capital above competitors including Stockholm, Frankfurt, Singapore, New York and Paris against three pillars of sustainability. Despite standing tall ahead of global competitors and taking the crown as the world’s most sustainable city in the latest rankings, experts are warning political leaders that London won’t remain at the summit unless there is further investment into infrastructure, transport congestion is tackled and more affordable housing is made available.
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