Good urban planning is necessary

Being located in an area of natural beauty helps, people often feel more of a connection to their
surroundings

Best practices of green cities

 Becoming a green city is more complicated than just good urban planning and stricter codes.
Here are some best practices from the world’s most sustainable cities.

 Ambitious, well defined goals, and regular reporting of progress

 Electricity generation using renewable resources

 Strict building codes favouring green technology

 Investment in public transportation

 Efforts and policies to cut waste, reduce water consumption

 Increased density

 Encourage knowledge-based, creative economies

 Access to affordable, healthy food

 City government who leads by example

 Encourage grass roots efforts to engage citizens

Plentiful Parks

parks provide both a place for harried city residents to take a deep breath, relax, and connect with
nature, and a cooling counter to the heat-island effect created by all that asphalt. (Not to mention a
buffer against flooding.) Green space has even been shown to improve urbanites' physical and mental
health.

Efficient Public Transportation

transit solutions that allow people to get around quickly and easily without a car are a key element to a
green city.

Quality Public Space

people can safely walk and happily gather. popular pedestrian-only street such places not only
encourage getting around on foot, but reduce the need for large private dwellings by creating communal
space for people to enjoy.

Bike Lanes

heavy traffic (and angry drivers) can make cycling unpleasant and even dangerous without designated
lanes. The most bike-friendly cities create separated bike paths, provide parking (and even solar-
powered showers!), institute bike-sharing programs, and allow cyclists to bring their bikes on buses for
longer trips.

High-Profile Green Buildings

he biggest, tallest, fill-in-the-blank-iest green building may get flak for their aesthetics or be seen simply
as "window dressing" for governments and corporations seeking some green cred.

Comprehensive Recycling and Composting Programs

than gathering cans and bottles, by adding electronics and food waste to the list of items recycled and
composted, and by instituting larger-scale programs to recycle water for industrial use.

Mixed-Use and Infill Development

While other metropolises sprawl further and further out, Hamburg, Germany, is renovating its obsolete
harbor into a walkable mixed-use neighborhood with office, retail, and residential space, while
Sacramento, California, is giving new life to old alleyways. Such projects "recycle" existing space that's
already woven into the urban fabric, making them easy to get to and get around.

Green Leadership

Smart Energy Policies

Buying renewable energy and mandating efficiency measures are two ways a city can use its economic
clout to help build a market for greener products while lowering its own environmental impact (and,
often, operating costs). Phoenix, Arizona, for example, is boosting the amount of power it draws from
renewable sources and constructing new city buildings to LEED standards, while San Francisco is building
a big new solar array, Austin, Texas, is mandating home energy audits, and New York City is looking into
offshore wind farms.

Good Green Fun

the best green cities celebrate their eco-friendly lifestyles with farmers' markets full of tasty (and
unusual) treats, bars and restaurants serving the best organic fare, intriguing exhibits by ecologically
minded artists, and music festivals that offer bike valet parking and solar-powered stages.