Sunderland and Newcastle named as two of the UK’s greenest cities according to new research
As the need to protect our environment grows more urgent, many of us are eager to see more greenery and wildlife flourishing in the places we call home. But just how green are the UK’s cities, and which one leads the way?
To find out, The Co-operative Bank has carried out research to rank cities based on key factors such as air quality, green spaces, recycling rates, green jobs, conservation funding, and cycling infrastructure.
The Top 10 Greenest Cities in England:
| Rank | UK City | Air Quality | % of Green Space | Recycling Rates % | No. of “Green Jobs” per 10,000 people | Funding for conservation projects per 10,000 people | No. of cycle routes per square km | Overall Score |
| 1 | Reading | 72.22 | 42.04 | 44.79 | 18.7 | 570.6 | 18.3 | 6.67 |
| 2 | Sunderland | 87.5 | 26.69 | 29.56 | 51.3 | 2228.2 | 1.4 | 6.26 |
| 3 | Bristol | 54.86 | 22.45 | 47.25 | 21.1 | 1206.7 | 23.7 | 6.25 |
| 4 | Newcastle Upon Tyne | 69.53 | n/a | 26.86 | 57.5 | 2149.7 | 3.7 | 6.22 |
| 5 | Nottingham | 61.67 | 42.86 | 26.83 | 30.4 | 1282.2 | 14.4 | 5.97 |
| 6 | Leicester | 71.05 | 31.42 | 42.54 | 32.1 | 1011.2 | 5.6 | 5.78 |
| 7 | Kingston Upon Hull | 58.33 | 18.71 | 46.52 | 25.0 | 1456.8 | 10.5 | 5.48 |
| 8 | Middlesbrough | 88.64 | 33.29 | 24.16 | 44.1 | 937.7 | 3.6 | 5.39 |
| 9 | Stoke-on-Trent | 66.67 | 46.09 | 31.44 | 27.9 | 802.0 | 3.2 | 5.38 |
| 10 | Leeds | 54.05 | 41.9 | 35.98 | 14.1 | 1186.0 | 6.9 | 5.24 |
Reading has been crowned the greenest city in England, thanks to its high air quality (72.22) and large areas of green space (42.04%). It also boasts 700 cycle routes and a strong recycling rate at 44.79%.
Just behind is Sunderland, thanks to its impressive air quality of 87.5. The North East city has a high number of green jobs, 51.3 per 10,000 people, and is actively funding conservation projects. Newcastle ranks fourth with the highest number of green jobs in the Top 10 (57.5 per 10,000 people) and an overall score of 6.22
Bristol is third and has the highest recycling rate in the top 10 at 47.25%. It also stands out for its commitment to cycling, with an impressive 2,611 routes available across the city - 23.7 per square km.
By contrast, London was found to be the least green city in England, due to its poor air quality (36.87), amount of green space (22.29%) and low recycling rate (22.42%).
You can read the research in full here: https://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/content-hub/articles-and-advice/the-uks-greenest-cities/
To find out which UK cities are the 'greenest', The Co-Operative Bank listed the 30 most populated cities and towns in the UK. Each city was then scored and ranked according to a range of metrics, including; air quality, green space, number of 'green jobs', cycle routes, recycling rates and funding for conservation projects.
Cities that did not have enough data were removed.