In an increasingly urbanized world becoming more environmentally friendly is a worldwide effort. Green cities are those that have plenty of natural spaces designed to improve the wellbeing and health of their inhabitants, they have low levels of environmental pollution and greenhouse gases, they promote eco-friendly and sustainable building practices, and their citizens are educated and act in accordance with pro-environmental criteria. However, not all cities benefit from being located in areas that can accommodate vegetation or public parks.
In that case, the aim is to preserve resources that may be extremely scarce. It is about protecting what one has. Initially, cities across the world were built without taking into account elements such as acoustic pollution, levels of CO2 emissions, air pollution or areas designed for green zones. However, today, these are priority factors for the wellbeing of citizens and the protection of the environment. Not just that; they now form an indelible part of complete urban planning strategies.
Here are the top 10 greenest cities in the world.
| Rank | City | % of public green space |
| 1. | Oslo, Norway | 68.00% |
| 2. | Singapore, Singapore | 47.00% |
| 3. | Sydney, Australia | 46.00% |
| 4. | Vienna, Austria | 45.50% |
| 5. | Chengdu, China | 42.30% |
| 6. | Zürich, Switzerland | 41.00% |
| 7. | Shenzhen, China | 40.90% |
| 8. | Nanjing, China | 40.67% |
| 9. | Helsinki, Finland | 40.00% |
| 10. | Hong Kong, China | 40.00% |
| 11. | Stockholm, Sweden | 40.00% |
| 12. | Rome, Italy | 38.90% |
| 13. | Los Angeles, United States | 34.70% |
| 14. | London, United Kingdom | 33.00% |
| 15. | Seoul, South Korea | 27.80% |
| 16. | New York, United States | 27.00% |
| 17. | Dublin, Ireland | 26.00% |
| 18. | Cape Town, South Africa | 24.00% |
| 19. | Johannesburg, South Africa | 24.00% |
| 20. | Lisbon, Portugal | 22.00% |
