MANILA ranked 95th out of 100 global cities in the 2018 Sustainable Cities Index (SCI) compiled by design and consultancy firm Arcadis, beating out only Hanoi and Kolkata among the Asian metropolises evaluated.
Three Asian cities — Singapore, Hong Kong, and Seoul — made it to the global Top 20, at fourth, ninth and 13th respectively. London ranked number one in the 2018 study, followed by Stockholm and Edinburgh.
The index measures various factors such as social mobility and quality of opportunity and life; management of energy use, pollution and emissions; and also assesses the business environment and economic performance.
Arcadis, which apparently evaluated the Metro Manila region and not, strictly speaking, the city of Manila, said the Philippine capital needs to focus on building resiliency and investment in infrastructure to ease congestion.
“Infrastructure development is accelerating in Manila, providing much needed expansion to support the future requirements of the rapid urbanizing city. With so much advancement in construction innovation technology in recent years, Manila is poised to develop solutions that are resilient to future risks while remaining cost effective,” Arcadis Philippines Country Head Ross McKenzie said.
The SCI identified Manila as a typical Evolutionary City, characterized by rapid growth and subject to disruption along its evolutionary path that has the potential to affect jobs, crime levels and mobility choices.
According to SCI, the foundations of city sustainability are an educated and healthy work force, effective low-carbon infrastructure, and ease of doing business.
The cities at the bottom five of the rankings were Nairobi (96th), Cape Town (97th), Hanoi (98th), Cairo (99th), and Kolkata (100th). — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio
