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The Smart City Expo World Congress looked at transportation options in more than 20 European cities. London, Amsterdam, Vienna, Berlin and Helsinki are the ones that most promote sustainable transportation.
A new study by the Smart City Expo World Congress compared green transportation options in 24 European cities. London, Amsterdam, Vienna, Berlin and Helsinki are the cities considered easiest to travel in a sustainable way.
Cities were ranked according to their bike-sharing systems, cycle paths, bus fares, number of electric buses and electric cars, charging stations, air pollution levels and number of airports.
1. London
With an index of 5.87 out of ten, London stood out with around 80,000 electric vehicles, more than 11,500 electric vehicle chargers and a very advanced electric bus network, with almost 1,400 buses currently in operation. By 2024, the city aims to transition to a completely zero-emission bus fleet.
Thanks to these sustainable mobility options, London maintains a moderate pollution level of 8.40, despite being one of Europe’s largest cities.
However, London’s ranking fell short of expectations due to its number of airports – six, the highest number in the top 5 – the relative lack of bike rental companies and the rather short cycle paths.
2. Amsterdam
The Dutch capital comes second with a score of 5.71, partly thanks to its cycling culture, which translates into 858 km of cycle paths and five bike rental options.
Amsterdam has more bicycles than cars on its roads, and a notable proportion of these are electric – around 15,000. These electric vehicles have access to 13,549 charging stations throughout the city.
3. Vienna
The city of Vienna has 1,300 km of cycle paths, six bike rental companies, a comprehensive network of metro, streetcars and buses (150 of which are electric) and just one airport.
There are 18,000 electric vehicles in the city, but the number of charging stations is relatively low, with only 1,374 available.
Thanks to these infrastructures, the Austrian capital took third place with a score of 5.70.
4. Berlin
Berlin comes fourth (5.52 out of ten) thanks to its 30,000 electric vehicles, 3,800 charging stations, 1,000 km of cycling routes and six bike rental options.
The first electric buses were introduced in the German city almost a decade ago and today the city has 230 of these vehicles. However, the average fare is one of the highest among the countries studied, at 3.20 euros.
5. Helsinki
The inhabitants of Helsinki benefit from the largest number of cycle paths of all the cities analyzed, with 1,301 km that cross parks, industrial zones, streets and even islands.
In addition, Helsinki has more than 25,000 electric cars, 146 charging stations and 450 electric buses, which contributes to a pollution rate of less than 5 – the lowest level of air pollution of all the cities studied. This puts the city in fifth place in the ranking, with a score of 5.36.
All European countries were considered, but only those that had information available for all metrics were included in the final list. These are the cities that complete the ranking:
- Paris
- Oslo
- Andorra
- Brussels
- Luxembourg
- Dublin
- Madrid
- Rome
- Sofia
- Budapest
- Copenhagen
- Tirana
- Zagreb
- Athens
- Vilnius
- Nicosia
- Vaduz
- Skopje
- Sarajevo
“To achieve carbon neutrality, greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector must be reduced by 90% by 2050. Smart cities play a crucial role in meeting this challenge. Sustainable mobility is a defining characteristic of smart cities, with the aim of creating healthier, pollution-free environments,” reads a press release.
“The European Union has set itself the goal of reducing car emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve this goal, the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars will be banned from 2035, and measures have been approved to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles (…). Despite the growth in sales of electric cars and the government’s efforts to promote green, inclusive and shared transport, we are still far from achieving the goals needed to effectively tackle the climate emergency,” concludes the study.
The research was carried out ahead of the “Smart City Expo World Congress” event, which will bring together industry executives, government leaders, researchers and entrepreneurs in Barcelona between November 5 and 7 to advance cities towards a better future, based on urban innovation.
She might have chosen to study Meteorology and Oceanography, but ultimately pursued Communication. And that's fine because if they don't get their weather predictions right, she wouldn't be the one to change that. She started by looking for sustainable ideas and projects for the university, and since then, she has never stopped (who stops, really?). She loves to watch tv shows, but she watches few because she is demanding. You don't need much to convince her to embrace new, "greener" habits and challenges.
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