From offering plentiful bike paths and thriving farmers’markets to ensuring cleaner air， a city’s environmental efforts don’t just help the planet—they benefit residents too.

According to the Siemens Green City Index， an ongoing project researched by the Economist Intelligence Unit， the world’s greenest cities score high marks in CO2 emissions， transportation options， water and waste management， and overall environmental governance.

Different urban areas have different sustainability strengths， so we talked to residents in the top-ranked cities across the globe to find out what living in them is like.

從提供大量的自行車道、興旺的農(nóng)貿(mào)市場，到確保清新的空氣，一個城市對于環(huán)境保護(hù)的努力不僅有助于保護(hù)整個星球——其居民亦從中受益。

經(jīng)濟學(xué)人智庫目前正在進(jìn)行的一項研究“西門子綠色城市指標(biāo)”顯示，世界上最為綠色的城市在二氧化碳排放、交通選擇、水和廢物管理，及綜合環(huán)境治理等各方面都獲得高分。

不同的城區(qū)有著不同的可持續(xù)優(yōu)勢，因此我們采訪了全球各大城市的居民，去了解在這些一流的城市里生活有什么不同。

Vancouver， British Columbia

溫哥華，不列顛哥倫比亞省

Compared to other cities of its size， Vancouver scored incredibly well in CO2 emissions and air quality， due in part to the city’s emphasis on promoting green energy and its use of hydropower. Vancouver has vowed to reduce emissions by 33% by 2020.

That commitment doesn’t surprise resident Lorne Craig， who moved to the city from Calgary in 1985 and writes the Green Briefs blog. “Vancouver has been home to a deeper green counter-culture since the 1960s and is recognized worldwide as the birthplace of Greenpeace，” he said. “Mountains tower over the city. It reminds everyone here that we are part of something bigger and more beautiful.”

As other cities continued building freeways that promoted driving and sprawl， Vancouver remained committed to urban living， as evidenced by the development of Granville Island， a 1）pedestrian-friendly peninsula where residents frequent large public market and art studios.

Plenty of other Vancouver neighbourhoods are ecofriendly too. A large network of bike routes makes cycling around town easy， especially West 10th Avenue， where people regularly cruise on bikes， electric scooters and even unicycles. Craig said the neighbourhoods of Commercial Drive and Strathcona， both east of downtown， are “more left-wing green”—meaning， more politically active—while Kitsilano to the west and the Main Street neighbourhood to the south of downtown are “more the 2）Prius type of green”—wealthier， with a more laid-back approach to activism.

與同等規(guī)模的其他城市相比，溫哥華市在二氧化碳排放和空氣質(zhì)量方面的得分非常高，這部分歸功于該城市著重支持綠色能源和使用水力發(fā)電。溫哥華立誓到2020年減少33%的排放量。

這一承諾并未使當(dāng)?shù)氐木用窳_恩·克雷格感到吃驚，他于1985年從卡爾加里市搬到這座城市，并建立了“綠色簡報”博客?！皽馗缛A市從20世紀(jì)60年代開始就是深層次綠色反主流文化的家園，并被全世界公認(rèn)為綠色和平的發(fā)源地，”他說?！叭荷江h(huán)抱著城市。它提醒著這里的每個人，我們是某個更大更美麗的世界的一份子。”

當(dāng)其他城市在不斷修建高速公路，倡導(dǎo)駕駛及城市擴建時，溫哥華依舊致力于改善城市生活方式，格蘭維爾島的發(fā)展便是例證，這是個適合行人的半島，當(dāng)?shù)鼐用癯Ｈツ抢锕浯笮凸布泻退囆g(shù)工作室。

溫哥華市周邊的許多其他城市也是生態(tài)友好城市。一個大型的自行車路線網(wǎng)絡(luò)使得騎車游覽城鎮(zhèn)變得簡單，特別是在西十街，人們經(jīng)常騎單車、電動小摩托車，甚至獨輪車四處溜達(dá)?？死赘裾f，在市中心東部的商業(yè)街和斯特拉康納區(qū)附近的街區(qū)“更加左翼綠色”——亦即，政治氛圍更為活躍——而市中心西部的基茨拉諾區(qū)和南部緬街附近的街區(qū)則“更加普銳斯式綠色”，那里的人更富裕，綠色運動較為溫和。

Curitiba， Brazil

庫里奇巴，巴西

Of all the cities on the South American Siemens Index， only Curitiba scores above average in the green rankings. After building one of the planet’s first large-scale， rapid-transit bus systems in the 1960s and developing a world-leading recycling program in the 1980s， the southern Brazilian city continues to be environmentally forward-thinking. In fact， the heavy use of public transportation means Curitiba has one of the highest air qualities in the index.

However， the city could use some revitalization， according to resident Stephen Green， who moved to Curitiba 15 years ago from London and writes the city lifestyle blog Head of the Heard. While Curitiba plans to build a metro system and an additional 300km in bike routes， the projects are expensive and the city needs more funding to complete them. Still， compared to other cities in the region， “Curitiba is excellent，” Green said.

Green lives in Merces， a traditional city-centre neighbourhood that’s popular with older residents. “We have a good market on Sundays， decent public transport links and the biggest park in the city is close by，” he said. Farmers’ markets move around the city， helping residents find local organic produce.

西門子指標(biāo)上，所有南美城市中只有庫里奇巴市的綠色排名要高于平均分?jǐn)?shù)。20世紀(jì)60年代修建了地球上其中一個最早的大型高速汽運系統(tǒng)后，20世紀(jì)80年代開發(fā)出了一套世界領(lǐng)先的回收項目，這座位于巴西南部的城市在環(huán)境方面就一直頗具遠(yuǎn)見。實際上，公共交通的高頻使用意味著庫里奇巴市是該指標(biāo)中空氣質(zhì)量最好的城市之一。

但是，這個城市可以進(jìn)一步改造重建，當(dāng)?shù)鼐用袷返俜摇じ窳诌@么認(rèn)為，他于15年前從倫敦搬到庫里奇巴市，并建博客“Head of the Heard”，書寫這個城市的生活方式。庫里奇巴市計劃修建地鐵系統(tǒng)并增加300公里的自行車道，這個計劃造價不菲，該市需要更多的資金來完成。但和這個地區(qū)的其他城市相比，“庫里奇巴市棒極了，”格林說。

格林住在梅塞斯區(qū)，一個傳統(tǒng)的城市中心社區(qū)，深受老年居民喜愛?！拔覀冊谥苋沼袀€不錯的集市，很好的公共交通線路，而且城市里最大的公園就在附近，”他說。農(nóng)貿(mào)市場在城中各處轉(zhuǎn)移，讓居民買到當(dāng)?shù)氐挠袡C農(nóng)產(chǎn)品。

Copenhagen， Denmark

哥本哈根，丹麥

Though fellow Scandinavian cities Oslo and Stockholm trail close behind， Copenhagen consistently ranks as Europe’s greenest city. Almost all of the residents live within 350m of public transportation and more than 50% regularly use a bicycle to commute. As a result， Copenhagen has extremely low CO2 emissions for a city its size.

While the entire city is bike-friendly， the districts of N？rrebro in the northwest and Frederiksberg in the west are especially committed to cycling， said Copenhagen native Mia Kristine Jessen Petersen. “They’ve spent a lot of money creating， Den Gr？nneSti [the Green Path]， a 9km-long path for walking and biking，” she said. “The Green Path is made to help cyclists get through the city fast and easy in beautiful scenery. But the path isn’t just a path； it’s also filled with parks， playgrounds， benches and different 3）terrain， so the scenery shifts at every turn.”Gr？nneSti ends in Valby， 4km outside of downtown， a district popular with families who live there for its plentiful parks， schools and safe streets.

In addition to their love of cycling， Copenhagen residents are passionate about recycling and composting， as well as conserving electricity and heat. “Danes see nature as a sacred haven，” Petersen said. “We do whatever we can to take care of the nature we have in the cities and to get more.”

盡管其他的斯堪的納維亞城市，如奧斯陸和斯德哥爾摩緊隨其后，哥本哈根市一直排在歐洲綠色城市榜首。幾乎所有的當(dāng)?shù)鼐用穸忌钤?50英里的公共交通系統(tǒng)圈內(nèi)，50%的人常常騎自行車出行。其結(jié)果是，相對其城市面積來說，哥本哈根市的二氧化碳排放量極其之低。

盡管整個城市都為自行車出行提供便利，但西北部的諾瑞布羅區(qū)和西部的腓特烈斯貝區(qū)特別致力于推廣自行車出行，哥本哈根市的居民米亞·克里斯汀·杰森·彼得遜說?！八麄兓嗽S多錢來修建‘綠色小徑’，一段長9公里的用于行走和騎車的小路，”她說?！斑@條‘綠色小徑’是用來幫助騎車人士快捷輕松地在美景之中穿梭城市的。這條小徑本身并不僅僅是條小徑，其間隨處可見公園、操場、海岸和不同的地貌，因此每個轉(zhuǎn)角都有不同的風(fēng)景?！薄熬G色小徑”的終點在瓦爾比，距離市中心4公里，是一個廣受當(dāng)?shù)刈〖覛g迎的地區(qū)，有著許多公園、學(xué)校和安全的街道。

除了熱愛騎自行車之外，哥本哈根的居民還熱衷于回收利用和制作堆肥，以及保存電力和熱力。“丹麥人把自然看作是神圣的避風(fēng)港，”彼得遜說。“我們竭盡所能地保護(hù)我們所居住城市的自然環(huán)境，并從中獲取更多。”

San Francisco， California

舊金山，加利福尼亞州

San Francisco ranks as North America’s greenest city in the index. The city has a long history of environmental consciousness stretching back to the founding of the Sierra Club environmental group in the 19th Century. San Francisco has a 77% recycling rate， one of the highest in the world， made possible through city 4）mandates requiring the separation of recyclable and compostable materials from regular garbage.

“We are surrounded by stunning natural beauty， and we have a history of progressiveness and open-mindedness，”said Donna Sky， who moved to the city from Costa Rica nine years ago and founded the locally produced 5）hummus company Love Hummus. Local farms also contribute： Many residents care where and how their food is produced and strive to eat food produced nearby.

To that end， many neighbourhoods have their own farmers’ markets， each with a distinctive character. North of the Panhandle—NoPa for short—has a market that’s open throughout the year， whereas the Mission and central HaightAshbury （famous for its hippie culture and Victorian houses） have seasonal markets.

All three neighbourhoods are also bike-friendly due to their flat 6）topography， said JarieBolander， a long-time Bay Area resident and past president of the North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association. “Each of these neighbourhoods has its own unique vibe，” he said. “NOPA is primarily young professionals and civically minded， while the Haight is a healthy mix of aging hippies and hipsters.”

在指標(biāo)中，舊金山市名列北美洲最為綠色的城市。這座城市長久以來一直具有環(huán)保意識，最早可追溯到19世紀(jì)塞拉俱樂部環(huán)保小組的建立。舊金山市的回收利用率達(dá)到77%，世界最高記錄之一，因城市明令要求對日常垃圾中的可回收和可制堆肥物品進(jìn)行分類，從而使其高回收率成為可能。

“我們被驚人的自然美所包圍，而我們也有著支持進(jìn)步和思想開明的歷史，”唐娜·斯凱說，她于9年前從哥斯達(dá)黎加搬到這座城市，并建立了本地出產(chǎn)的鷹嘴豆泥公司“愛鷹嘴豆泥”。本地的農(nóng)場也貢獻(xiàn)巨大：許多居民對他們的食物產(chǎn)自哪里及如何出產(chǎn)十分關(guān)心，并盡可能多吃周邊地區(qū)出產(chǎn)的食物。

為此，許多社區(qū)擁有他們自己的農(nóng)貿(mào)集市，每一個都各不相同。北潘漢德爾（簡稱北潘）有一個常年開放的集市，而米慎區(qū)和海特-阿什伯理區(qū)（以嬉皮文化和維多利亞式房屋而出名）的集市則是季節(jié)性的。

所有這三個街區(qū)因其平坦的地形，也都是自行車友好街區(qū)，加里·波拉德說，他是灣區(qū)的長期住戶，也是北潘漢德爾街區(qū)聯(lián)盟的前任主席?！斑@里的每一個街區(qū)都有著其自身獨特的氛圍，”他說?！氨迸藚^(qū)主要是年輕的專業(yè)人士和公民責(zé)任心強的人士，而海特區(qū)則恰到好處地生活著各色老嬉皮士和潮人?！?/p>

Cape Town， South Africa

開普敦，南非

South Africa’s second-largest city is making some of the biggest environmental strides in Africa， in part by pushing for more energy conservation and a greater use of renewable resources. In 2008， Cape Town started using energy from the country’s first commercial wind farm and now aims to get 10% of its energy from renewable resources by 2020.

These efforts are transforming life in the city. “More bike routes are becoming available， farmers markets are very popular， and chefs definitely place a premium on sourcing ingredients and produce locally，” said resident Sarah Khan， who moved to Cape Town from New York City in 2013 and writes The South AfriKhan blog. Still， she believes the city could do more to improve public transportation and prevent the electricity shortages that are becoming increasingly common.

Locals tend to have an “outdoorsy nature” and aren’t afraid to hop on a bike to get around. “The most bike-friendly areas to live within the city are definitely Seapoint and Greenpoint， where there is great cycle infrastructure，” said Leonie Mervis， the founder and director of urban cycling campaign Bicycle Cape Town. Though the city centre itself doesn’t have as many dedicated cycling routes， bikes are allowed for free on the My CiTi rapid bus service， making the city easy to get around in without a car.

Mervis lives in Hout Bay， a neighbourhood 20km south of the central business district that’s home to many creative types and environmentally conscious residents. “Many people living in our community have solar energy systems and grow their own vegetables，” Mervis said. “We also have an environmental committee that works to support green initiatives and rehabilitate and care for the surrounding open space system.”

南非的第二大城市正在邁出非洲地區(qū)最大的環(huán)保步伐，這部分歸功于更進(jìn)一步推動能源保護(hù)和更大程度地使用可再生資源。2008年，開普敦市開始使用該國第一座商業(yè)風(fēng)力發(fā)電場提供的能源，而如今則力爭到2020年從可再生資源中獲取10%的能源。

這些努力也在改變城市里的生活?！坝辛烁嗟淖孕熊嚶肪€，農(nóng)貿(mào)市場廣受歡迎，大廚們當(dāng)然也就更加青睞本地原料和農(nóng)業(yè)產(chǎn)品，”當(dāng)?shù)鼐用裆ず拐f，她于2013年從紐約市搬來開普敦市，并為“南非·汗”博客撰文。她仍然相信這座城市能為提高公共交通和防止愈加頻繁的電力短缺做出更多努力。

本地人大多天性熱愛戶外，不懼怕跳上單車四處溜達(dá)。“城市內(nèi)最為自行車友好的地區(qū)當(dāng)然是海點區(qū)和綠點區(qū)，那里建有優(yōu)良的自行車基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施，”城市自行車運動“自行車開普敦”的創(chuàng)建人和董事萊昂尼·梅爾維斯說。盡管在城市中心沒有太多的自行車專用道，但自行車被允許在My CiTi快速公交系統(tǒng)的線路上自由通行，人們不用開車也能在城市里輕松出行。

梅爾維斯居住在豪特灣區(qū)，城市中心商業(yè)區(qū)南部20公里外的一個街區(qū)，那里居住著許多富有創(chuàng)造力和環(huán)保意識的居民?！霸S多居住在我們街區(qū)里的人都使用太陽能系統(tǒng)并自己種植蔬菜，”梅爾維斯說?！拔覀冞€有一個環(huán)境委員會，致力于支持綠色行動，恢復(fù)并照料周邊的空地系統(tǒng)?！?/p>