体验绿色环保城市的生活

From offering plentiful bike paths and thriving farmersmarkets to ensuring cleaner air， a citys environmental efforts dont 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 worlds 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.

Vancouver， British Columbia

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

That commitment doesnt 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 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 Prius type of green”—wealthier， with a more laid-back approach to activism.

Curitiba， Brazil

Of all the cities on the South American Siemens Index， only Curitiba scores above average in the green rankings. After building one of the planets 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 thats 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.

Copenhagen， Denmark

Though fellow Scandinavian cities Oslo and Stockholm trail close behind， Copenhagen consistently ranks as Europes 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. “Theyve 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 isnt just a path; its also filled with parks， playgrounds， benches and different 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.”

San Francisco， California

San Francisco ranks as North Americas 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 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 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 thats 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 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.”

Cape Town， South Africa

South Africas 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 countrys 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 arent 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 doesnt 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 thats 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.”

从提供大量的自行车道、兴旺的农贸市场，到确保清新的空气，一个城市对于环境保护的努力不仅有助于保护整个星球——其居民亦从中受益。

经济学人智库目前正在进行的一项研究“西门子绿色城市指标”显示，世界上最为绿色的城市在二氧化碳排放、交通选择、水和废物管理，及综合环境治理等各方面都获得高分。

不同的城区有着不同的可持续优势，因此我们采访了全球各大城市的居民，去了解在这些一流的城市里生活有什么不同。

温哥华，不列颠哥伦比亚省

与同等规模的其他城市相比，温哥华市在二氧化碳排放和空气质量方面的得分非常高，这部分归功于该城市着重支持绿色能源和使用水力发电。温哥华立誓到2020年减少33%的排放量。

这一承诺并未使当地的居民罗恩·克雷格感到吃惊，他于1985年从卡尔加里市搬到这座城市，并建立了“绿色简报”博客。“温哥华市从20世纪60年代开始就是深层次绿色反主流文化的家园，并被全世界公认为绿色和平的发源地，”他说。“群山环抱着城市。它提醒着这里的每个人，我们是某个更大更美丽的世界的一份子。”

当其他城市在不断修建高速公路，倡导驾驶及城市扩建时，温哥华依旧致力于改善城市生活方式，格兰维尔岛的发展便是例证，这是个适合行人的半岛，当地居民常去那里逛大型公共集市和艺术工作室。

温哥华市周边的许多其他城市也是生态友好城市。一个大型的自行车路线网络使得骑车游览城镇变得简单，特别是在西十街，人们经常骑单车、电动小摩托车，甚至独轮车四处溜达。克雷格说，在市中心东部的商业街和斯特拉康纳区附近的街区“更加左翼绿色”——亦即，政治氛围更为活跃——而市中心西部的基茨拉诺区和南部缅街附近的街区则“更加普锐斯式绿色”，那里的人更富裕，绿色运动较为温和。

库里奇巴，巴西

西门子指标上，所有南美城市中只有库里奇巴市的绿色排名要高于平均分数。20世纪60年代修建了地球上其中一个最早的大型高速汽运系统后，20世纪80年代开发出了一套世界领先的回收项目，这座位于巴西南部的城市在环境方面就一直颇具远见。实际上，公共交通的高频使用意味着库里奇巴市是该指标中空气质量最好的城市之一。

但是，这个城市可以进一步改造重建，当地居民史蒂芬·格林这么认为，他于15年前从伦敦搬到库里奇巴市，并建博客“Head of the Heard”，书写这个城市的生活方式。库里奇巴市计划修建地铁系统并增加300公里的自行车道，这个计划造价不菲，该市需要更多的资金来完成。但和这个地区的其他城市相比，“库里奇巴市棒极了，”格林说。

格林住在梅塞斯区，一个传统的城市中心社区，深受老年居民喜爱。“我们在周日有个不错的集市，很好的公共交通线路，而且城市里最大的公园就在附近，”他说。农贸市场在城中各处转移，让居民买到当地的有机农产品。

哥本哈根，丹麦

尽管其他的斯堪的纳维亚城市，如奥斯陆和斯德哥尔摩紧随其后，哥本哈根市一直排在欧洲绿色城市榜首。几乎所有的当地居民都生活在350英里的公共交通系统圈内，50%的人常常骑自行车出行。其结果是，相对其城市面积来说，哥本哈根市的二氧化碳排放量极其之低。

尽管整个城市都为自行车出行提供便利，但西北部的诺瑞布罗区和西部的腓特烈斯贝区特别致力于推广自行车出行，哥本哈根市的居民米亚·克里斯汀·杰森·彼得逊说。“他们花了许多钱来修建‘绿色小径，一段长9公里的用于行走和骑车的小路，”她说。“这条‘绿色小径是用来帮助骑车人士快捷轻松地在美景之中穿梭城市的。这条小径本身并不仅仅是条小径，其间随处可见公园、操场、海岸和不同的地貌，因此每个转角都有不同的风景。”“绿色小径”的终点在瓦尔比，距离市中心4公里，是一个广受当地住家欢迎的地区，有着许多公园、学校和安全的街道。

除了热爱骑自行车之外，哥本哈根的居民还热衷于回收利用和制作堆肥，以及保存电力和热力。“丹麦人把自然看作是神圣的避风港，”彼得逊说。“我们竭尽所能地保护我们所居住城市的自然环境，并从中获取更多。”

旧金山，加利福尼亚州

在指标中，旧金山市名列北美洲最为绿色的城市。这座城市长久以来一直具有环保意识，最早可追溯到19世纪塞拉俱乐部环保小组的建立。旧金山市的回收利用率达到77%，世界最高记录之一，因城市明令要求对日常垃圾中的可回收和可制堆肥物品進行分类，从而使其高回收率成为可能。

“我们被惊人的自然美所包围，而我们也有着支持进步和思想开明的历史，”唐娜·斯凯说，她于9年前从哥斯达黎加搬到这座城市，并建立了本地出产的鹰嘴豆泥公司“爱&鹰嘴豆泥”。本地的农场也贡献巨大：许多居民对他们的食物产自哪里及如何出产十分关心，并尽可能多吃周边地区出产的食物。

为此，许多社区拥有他们自己的农贸集市，每一个都各不相同。北潘汉德尔（简称北潘）有一个常年开放的集市，而米慎区和海特·阿什伯理区（以嬉皮文化和维多利亚式房屋而出名）的集市则是季节性的。

所有这三个街区因其平坦的地形，也都是自行车友好街区，加里·波拉德说，他是湾区的长期住户，也是北潘汉德尔街区联盟的前任主席。“这里的每一个街区都有着其自身独特的氛围，”他说。“北潘区主要是年轻的专业人士和公民责任心强的人士，而海特区则恰到好处地生活着各色老嬉皮士和潮人。”

开普敦，南非

南非的第二大城市正在迈出非洲地区最大的环保步伐，这部分归功于更进一步推动能源保护和更大程度地使用可再生资源。2008年，开普敦市开始使用该国第一座商业风力发电场提供的能源，而如今则力争到2020年从可再生资源中获取10%的能源。

这些努力也在改变城市里的生活。“有了更多的自行车路线，农贸市场广受欢迎，大厨们当然也就更加青睐本地原料和农业产品，”当地居民莎拉·汗说，她于2013年从纽约市搬来开普敦市，并为“南非·汗”博客撰文。她仍然相信这座城市能为提高公共交通和防止愈加频繁的电力短缺做出更多努力。

本地人大多天性热爱户外，不惧怕跳上单车四处溜达。“城市内最为自行车友好的地区当然是海点区和绿点区，那里建有优良的自行车基础设施，”城市自行车运动“自行车开普敦”的创建人和董事莱昂尼·梅尔维斯说。尽管在城市中心没有太多的自行车专用道，但自行车被允许在My CiTi快速公交系统的线路上自由通行，人们不用开车也能在城市里轻松出行。

梅尔维斯居住在豪特湾区，城市中心商业区南部20公里外的一个街区，那里居住着许多富有创造力和环保意识的居民。“许多居住在我们街区里的人都使用太阳能系统并自己种植蔬菜，”梅尔维斯说。“我们还有一个环境委员会，致力于支持绿色行动，恢复并照料周边的空地系统。”