Newcastle top again

In a league table of Britain's most sustainable cities, Newcastle jumped from eight to four, the only northern city in the top five.

The Forum's second annual Sustainable Cities Index tracks progress on sustainability in Britain's 20 largest cities, ranking them on environmental performance, quality of life and future-proofing - how well they are addressing issues such as climate change, recycling and biodiversity.

Newcastle's future-proofing activities improved its ranking from last year, with green businesses and recycling rates helping it move four places in the overall score.

But the report reveals that a clear North-South divide still exists. Southern cities tend to perform better in the quality of life indicators and all feature in the top 10, while the industrial heritage of the Midlands and North is reflected in lower life expectancy.

Well done Newcastle, this is a really good example of what happens when the City's decision makers and media get on board and make a concerted effort.

You can read more about the report here and why Newcastle did so well here.

Overall city rankings
2008 rank City
(2007 rank)
1 (3) Bristol
2 (1) Brighton & Hove
3 (4) Plymouth
4 (8) Newcastle
5 (6) Cardiff
6 (2) Edinburgh
7 (7) Sheffield
8 (14) Leicester
9 (11) Nottingham
10 (10) London
11 (9) Bradford
12 (17) Coventry
13 (13) Sunderland
14 (5) Leeds
15 (12) Manchester
16 (16) Wolverhampton
17 (15) Glasgow
18 (19) Birmingham
19 (20) Liverpool
20 (18) Hull