No Australian city has cracked the top 10 in the newly released 2016 Sustainable Cities Index, with Zurich claiming the title of the most sustainable city in the world. 

The 2016 index ranked four Australian cities, with Canberra placed 18th out of the 100 cities indexed globally, ahead of Sydney (21st), Brisbane (30th) and Melbourne (32nd). Wellington came in at number 27. 

The index, compiled by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr) for design and consultancy firm Arcadis, ranks cities on three pillars of sustainability: people, planet and profit. 

The overall index is informed through an analysis of 32 different indicators and is broken down into an overall index and three sub-indices across each pillar.

Greg Steele, Arcadis CEO Australia Pacific, says Australian cities were let down by a lack of equitable public transport choices. 

“One of the things that sets Zurich apart is a highly coordinated network of public transport options," Steele explains.

"By comparison, Australian cities are characterised by ‘radial’ networks, meaning people need to go to the city centre to go back out to adjacent communities. Combined with fewer, less frequent transport options, it’s no wonder a significant number of the population still choose to drive,” he says. 

“A theme we saw emerge across a number of indicators was Australia’s traditional preference for low-density living, which can inhibit housing affordability, access to services and even work-life balance. Finding a comfortable ‘liveable density’ makes factors such as transport, waste management and connectivity easier to improve, increasing the overall quality of life in cities. Importantly though, planning for the quality of infrastructure is critical to make this work. 

“Cities like Seoul, Zurich and Singapore reveal areas Australia can develop in order to build a sustainable future for its cities. True sustainability is about more than just environmental footprint; issues such as an ageing population and geographically large cities urban sprawl require long-range, integrated planning in order to keep pace with international sustainability standards." 

Australian cities averaged 67% for work-life balance, 44% for affordability, and 60% for transport infrastructure. 

“Overall, we know that Australia tends to lag in planning for the longer term. Key to developing more sustainable cities will be working in close consultation with all elements of a community, and future planning to ensure we not only meet current demand, but can readily adapt to future needs,” Steele says.