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What New York City Could Learn from Toronto About Sustainability

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Bennat Berger
Bennat Berger

New York is ranked overall 26th out of 100 cities surveyed, and Toronto comes in at 33rd. What can the relatively high-scoring New York City learn from the similarly successful Toronto?

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WHAT NEW YORK CITY COULD LEARN FROM TORONTO ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY BENNAT BERGER
Whilecitieshavebeencoinedgreenand smart,whatreallymakesacitysustainable?
Recentsurveysgenerallygivescoresinthree categories:people,planet,andprofit, accordingtoArcadis’sSustainableCities Index,assembledbytheLondon-based CenterforEconomicsandBusinessResearch.
TheSustainableCitiesIndex operatesonascalefrom 100.NewYorkisranked overall26thoutof100cities surveyed,andToronto comesinat33rd.However, thecities’ scoresarenotfar offfromeachother:New Yorkscored62.9% overall, andToronto61.7%.
Specifically,whatcantherelativelyhigh- scoringNewYorkCitylearnfromthe similarlysuccessfulToronto?
Thecities’ sub-scoresrevealamoredetailed makeup:inthepeoplecategory,Toronto actuallybeatNewYork,withasub-scoreof 62.3% comparedtoNewYork’s53.4%, placingthem40thand77thoutof100cities.
Theyscoredsimilarlyintheplanetsection: Torontoat68.1% andNewYorkat66.1%, ranking28thand33rdinthiscategory.
TheprofitcategoryexplainswhyNew YorkoutranksTorontoontheIndex:New Yorkscored69.3% inthiscategoryand Torontoscored54.8%,leavingthemat 8thand38thinthissection.
SoifNewYorkistolooktoTorontofor waystoimproveitssustainabilityscore, theplanetandparticularlythepeople sub-scoresgivesomeindication.
Eachcity’sratinginthepeoplesub- sectioniscomprisedofscoresinseveral sub-categories:education,health, demographics,incomeinequality, affordability,work-lifebalance,andcrime.
ThebiggestdiscrepanciesbetweenToronto andNewYorkcanbefoundinincome inequality(10.7% > 6.5%); crime(13.2% > 10.1%); andaffordability(7.1% > 0.2%).
Theplanetsub-scoreisbasedon environmentalrisks,greenspaces, energy,airpollution,greenhouse gasemissions,wastemanagement, drinkingwaterandsanitation.
Themostsignificantdifferencesbetween TorontoandNewYorkhereareenvironmental risks(9.9% > 7.6%); energy(8.6% > 6.5%); and airpollution(13.4% > 12.1%).
Torontohasbeenespecially successfulinenergyefficiency, wastemanagement,andwater.
Torontoisoneofthetopthreecitiesfor ensuringarobust,effective,andhealthy watersupply,whileNewYork’sresources areconsideredmorevulnerable.
Indeed,thereporthighlightssomeof NewYork’sperceivedweaknesses, includingpoverty,anoverburdened transportationinfrastructure,andrising sealevelsforecastingmorestorms, flooding,andothernaturaldisasters.
Toronto,ontheotherhand,willhaveto dealwitha25% populationincrease expectedinthenext15years.
“Accordingtoareportpresentedbythe city,Torontohasreducedgreenhousegas emissionsby25% since1990andexpects toimprovethatnumberto30% by2030 evenamidthecity`spopulationgrowth, whichhasseenthemetropolitanareaswell tosixmillionasofFebruary2015.”
Hopefullythesesustainabilityassessments andmetricsencouragecitiesaroundthe globetolearnfromeachotherandthemyriad issuesfacedbysuchcomplexcosmopolitan organismsinthecomingcentury.
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What New York City Could Learn from Toronto About Sustainability