Brisbane has increased its global sustainability ranking over the past 12 months.
The 2024 Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index ranks the Queensland capital as the 33rd most sustainable city in the world, up from 37 last year, to be the third best Australian city.
Sydney and Melbourne were ranked 10th and 24th, respectively, with the New South Wales city jumping 19 places from last year.
Brisbane’s ranking has increased steadily over time with GDS report stating Brisbane was the second city in the world to have attained Gold Level in the United Nations Habitat’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Cities Global Initiative, “an exciting acknowledgement of the strides taken to protect and grow a sustainable city of the future”.
The report called out Brisbane’s investment in connected and low-emissions public transport networks, active transport bridges to connect footpaths and bikeways between the city and suburbs and incentives to encourage the design of more energy efficient buildings.
“Demonstrating leadership in sustainability, Brisbane City Council’s strategy details the approach and actions to deliver a sustainable city now and for future generations.”
It stated that with 85 percent of residents living within 400m of public open space, “the city is on its way to becoming a global leader in sustainability with a strong focus on preserving and activating parklands and outdoor facilities to maintain its reputation as a sub-tropical lifestyle city”.
Read the full GDS analysis of Brisbane.
