In his article, The World’s Top Cities for Sustainable Transport, Niall McCarthy discusses the research behind the graph below, which identifies cities across the globe that have the most sustainable public transport in 2017. Hong Kong has been rank number one for sustainable transport. I wouldn’t have guessed that one of the most populated cities in the world would be able to maintain such a sustainable transportation system simply due to the mass amounts of people circulating around the city each day.
Surprisingly enough, two other asian cities are also in the top-10. Due to the 23 different indicators that were involved in the ranking, some cities scored well in urban mobility. The article also notes that the top U.S. city is actually New York City! Ranking 23 overall, New York scored really well for its subway system, train connections to Long Island and New Jersey, and wheel chair accessibility. Although it’s not on the graph below, New York scored very well in comparison to other major cities in the U.S..
Graph is based on data taken from 100 major cities across 23 different factors to rank the transportation services.
This graph does a good job of showing the benefits of public transportation. However, similar to your findings, I was surprised to see Hong Hong at the top. Sustainable public transport is extremely important in terms of conserving gas and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, while getting people to their destinations as quick as possible.
I am glad you chose to highlight a graph on positive sustainability. I was very happy to see how some of the most populated places in the world are actually doing a pretty good job at maintaining sustainable transportation for their people. I wish there were some U.S. cities up there, however I am relieved to hear that NYC is doing a good job at controlling their negative impact on the environment. I think more emphasis on the positive things people are doing, more people will be inspired to follow their lead.
I think sustainable transport is very important and I was glad to see you find information on this. Something else to consider is not just the transport vehicle but also the passes to board. For example, in new york city the subway passes are disposable and lead to litter. In other countries there are options of having your ticket on your phone and the physical passes are sturdy and refillable and last a long time.