By the year 2050 current projections reveal that two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities. In this urban vision of the future, building efficiency will become increasingly important to economic, social, and environmental development in sustainable cities.
Choices in architectural design, construction practices, and technology used in buildings today must be purposeful in order to maximize energy and resource efficiency in the sustainable cities of the future.
Here are 10 cities that have successfully implemented sustainable strategies for development with examples of some of their most impressive green buildings.
Economic Mitigation Potential by Sector, 2030
Sourced from the World Resources Institute
Here are 10 sustainable cities who are leading by example, with photos from some of their most inspiring projects.
1. Copenhagen
Upon completion the UN17 Village will be one of the most sustainable building complexes in Copenhagen. Rendering courtesy of TMRW
Best known for its bike-centric and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, Copenhagen is one of the world’s leading cities when it comes to implementing sustainability on a large scale, largely due to its incentivizing green solutions. Indeed, you’ll find more than 230 miles of bike lanes within this city’s limits. Numerous bike-share/bike-rental programs exist throughout the city, making cycling an extremely viable (and safe) mode of transportation.
By focusing so heavily on providing easy access to green transportation alternatives, the city has removed over a third of all fossil-fuel-reliant transportation since 2019, eliminating approximately 90,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Of course, Copenhagen has also made significant efforts to improve sustainability in the building sector; it is the first Scandinavian city to enact a mandatory green roof policy, requiring all new roofs with a slope less than 30 degrees to incorporate soil and vegetation into their architectural planning. Green roofs help mitigate stormwater runoff, act as passive cooling features, and aid in the sequestering of carbon emissions, making them crucial to Copenhagen’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025.
As it stands, more than one-fourth of Copenhagen is occupied by green spaces, while over half of the city’s energy comes from renewable sources—mainly wind, solar, and biomass systems—meaning they are well on their way of meeting their carbon neutrality goal.
UN17 Village
One of Copenhagen’s more ambitious sustainability projects is the development of the UN17 Village, a mixed-use living community that aims to be the first building in the world to incorporate and address all 17 of the United Nations’ Global Goals, with specific focus on those regarding renewable energy and energy efficiency.
“Focusing on universal access to energy, increased energy efficiency, and the increased use of renewable energy is crucial to create resilience to environmental issues like climate change,” Anders Lendager, CEO and founder of the Lendager Group, previously told gb&d.
Designed by Sweco Architects Denmark and the Lendager Group, the UN17 Village comprises five buildings total and is set to be able to house more than 1,100 residents. Other amenities include restaurants, a health clinic, common areas, and a sharing center. Sustainable features will include rainwater collection, treatment, and reuse, green roofs and walls, biodiverse landscaping, water- and energy-saving appliances, integration into the local district heating system, solar panels, and more.
UN City
If it wasn’t already obvious, Copenhagen takes the United Nations sustainability goals very seriously—and the UN City campuses are the perfect example.
Designed by 3XN, UN City encompasses two campuses and houses 11 United Nations agencies in total. Its design was largely informed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially when it comes to energy efficiency—1,400 square meters of solar panels clad the roof, of which provide approximately 30% of the building’s electricity.
To conserve water UN City utilizes a rainwater collection system to supply water to its bathrooms, while outdoor green spaces help mitigate stormwater runoff. Cool seawater is pumped throughout the building’s cooling system to help regulate interior temperatures at peak efficiency.
A central atrium, large windows, and smart building facade allow daylight to enter the structure, further reducing energy loads and improving occupants’ psychological well-being. Overall UN City uses 55% less electricity than similarly-sized office buildings and boasts a LEED Platinum certification.
2. Oslo
Oslo has set an ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2030. Photo by Tord Baklund for #VISITOSLO
Beautiful escapes surround the popular Mathallen Food Hall in the Vulkan area of Oslo. You can easily spend a day on the Akerselva river walk or exploring the neighborhoods in and around historic Damstredet, with houses that date back to the late 1700s and 1800s. Photo by Tord Baklund
The Munch Museum
Norway’s changing light inspired the design of the tower-shaped museum clad in glass and recycled, perforated aluminum panels of varying degrees of translucency. Photo by Einar Aslaksen
When Edvard Munch, the Norwegian artist who painted “The Scream,” died in 1944, he donated more than 27,000 of his works to the city of Oslo on the condition that they were made accessible to all people and housed in a single space. Designed by EstudioHerreros, the Munch Museum is the city’s fulfillment of that wish—as well as an inspiring example of sustainable construction.
Located along Oslo’s coast, The Munch Museum is built directly into the water and sits atop piles stretching 200 feet down to the bedrock. In being so close to the water, the museum is able to take advantage of cool sea breezes for natural ventilation and is linked to a nearby seawater cooling plant to further regulate interior temperatures.
Exhibition rooms require stable humidity, temperature, and lighting, but the rest of the museum makes extensive use of daylighting strategies—large, energy-efficient windows and skylights provide ample illumination throughout the year, reducing energy expenditure and the building’s annual carbon emissions.
The main structure of the museum itself also prioritizes sustainability—low-carbon concrete makes up the framework while glass and recycled aluminum panels clad the exterior.
3. Amsterdam
Initiated and developed by the residents themselves, Schoonschip Amsterdam includes 46 self-sustaining floating homes and creates a new model for sustainable living. Photo by Isabel Nabuurs
Like many of the cities on this list, Amsterdam has invested considerably in expanding its cycling infrastructure. At present you’ll find more than 500 kilometers of bike paths throughout the city; current estimates suggest that more than 65% of all trips within the city are made by bicycle.
Amsterdam’s governing bodies also have high hopes for the city when it comes to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Green policies aim to reduce Amsterdam’s carbon dioxide emissions by 55% in 2030 and 95% by 2050. The city’s climate goals also include eliminating all emission-producing modes of transportation and generating 80% of all household electricity via solar and wind power by 2030.
Amsterdam is also on track to become a circular city by 2050, which means everything that the city produces will be able to be either reused, repurposed, or recycled—a move that would effectively reduce waste production to near zero.
Schoonschip Amsterdam
As an urban ecosystem embedded within the city, Schoonschip Amsterdam provides a new model for sustainable living. Photo by Alan Jensen
No project better showcases Amsterdam’s commitment toward sustainability than Schoonschip Amsterdam—a self-sustaining floating village that utilizes shared services and houses more than 100 residents.
Developed by Space&Matter, Schoonschip Amsterdam includes more than 40 homes and aims to reduce its overall environmental impact and carbon footprint. Natural building materials like FSC-certified wood, wood fiber insulation, burlap, and even straw were favored over concrete, steel, and other traditional building materials in this design.
An interconnected grid of 500 solar panels supplies electricity to all residences and uses blockchain technology to exchange energy between households, operating similarly to an energy cooperative. Solar boilers and heat pumps are used to heat the village’s tap water, with many residents taking advantage of water-efficient showers to conserve water and energy by as much as 90% and 80%, respectively.
Schoonschip’s jetty creates a social meeting space for residents while also supplying the community’s energy, water, and waste systems underneath. Photo by Isabel Nabuurs
Schoonschip Amsterdam also makes efficient use of its wastewater—graywater from showers, washing machines, dishwashers, and the like is treated onsite and reused while blackwater is collected, fermented, and converted into energy at a biorefinery.
Green roofs take up at least a third of each household’s roof, allowing residents to grow their own food while also serving as passive cooling features, reducing the need for interior heating and cooling.
“Schoonschip is transformed into thriving neighborhoods based on regenerating existing nature and ensuring social, ecological, and financial value remains with the community. This ensures a network of stewardship and care, which will keep the neighborhoods operating in a circular way for perpetuity,” Sascha Glasl, cofounder of architectural firm Space&Matter, previously told gb&d.
HAUT
Amsterdam is also home to HAUT, the tallest mass timber building in the Netherlands and the fourth tallest mass timber building in the world. Designed by Team V Architecture, HAUT measures 240 feet tall and makes use of prefabricated cross-laminated timber, a highly sustainable building material due to its continued sequestration of carbon throughout its operational life cycle.
HAUT was designed to meet the highest level of BREEAM standards and includes a variety of sustainable features. Solar panels clad the roof and facade, cooling is sourced from the ground, rainwater is collected and stored for use in the rooftop garden, and nesting boxes provide homes for bats and birds.
4. Reykjavik
Basalt Architects designed FABRIC, an ongoing project in Reykjavik that uses low- carbon construction materials. FABRIC incentivizes alternative and communal ways of living and working—mixing housing, office space, public space, service, and retail. Rendering courtesy of Basalt
Few cities can truthfully claim they are powered almost entirely by renewable energy. Reykjavik, however, can. Since the mid-1970s Iceland’s capital city (and Iceland in general) has relied on renewable energy to produce approximately 100% of all the energy it consumes, with the majority of that power coming from geothermal and hydropower facilities.
Overall Reykjavik sources approximately 27% of its electricity from geothermal plants and 73% of its electricity from hydroelectric facilities. An estimated 95% of the city’s buildings source their heating and hot water from district-wide geothermal heating. Renewable energy, however, is but one facet of Reykjavik’s sustainability efforts.
In 2010 the city released the Reykjavik Municipal Plan, a policy plan that set development goals up until 2030 and included a comprehensive Sustainable Planning Policy, the latter of which focuses on:
- Reducing pollution
- Preserving green spaces
- Increasing sustainable public transit systems
- Incentivizing green building practices
- Improving energy efficiency
In 2016 Reykjavik announced its plans to become carbon neutral by the year 2040 and completely fossil-fuel free by 2050. To achieve these goals the city has begun reducing the number of gas stations and investing in pedestrian infrastructure in an attempt to gradually phase out conventional internal combustion vehicles and increase walkability.
FABRIC
FABRIC is an ongoing project designed by BASALT Architects that exemplifies Reykjavik’s recent efforts at pushing sustainable design to the next level.
Located on the site of an old geothermal drilling zone, FABRIC will source the bulk of its energy from on-site geothermal wells and be constructed primarily from cross-laminated timber (CLT), a material with a very low environmental impact. Of the eight-story complex’s noteworthy features, however, the “Green Ribbon” is the most crucial. This long green space extends between the building’s floors and rooms, functioning as both a channel for geothermal ducts and as a place for gardening.
“It’s a really active hub—not only the building itself but also how it channels the city through it,” says Marcos Zotes, partner at Basalt Architects, of FABRIC’s connected living, working, gardening, and retail spaces. “It should promote a healthier way of living. The aim is to have services that reflect this—medical offices, psychology offices, et cetera.”
Living Landscape
Designed by French architecture studio Jakob+MacFarlane in partnership with local Icelandic studio T.ark, Living Landscape is a work in progress that, when finished, is set to become the largest wooden building in the country.
Slated for completion in 2026, Living Landscape encompasses 26,000 square meters and sits atop the site of a former landfill. Its main goal is to recreate the natural landscape that was lost due to decades of pollution, as well as meet those guidelines laid out by the 2015 Paris Agreement in regards to carbon reduction.
It is for this reason that Living Landscape will be built primarily out of CLT, as wood sequesters carbon both during its initial growth cycle and throughout its operation lifespan. Ultimately, the use of CLT is estimated to reduce the building’s embodied carbon by roughly 80%, according to Jakob+MacFarlane—and any electricity that it will require will be produced by geothermal and/or hydropower.
As the name suggests, Living Landscape also aims to rejuvenate and restore nature to the land itself. A rooftop garden and farm will allow residents to grow their own food and foster community with one another, while the central courtyard is set to be xeriscaped in accordance with local Icelandic habitats to reintroduce biodiverse wildlife to the site.
5. Bogotá
In recent years, Bogotá has become a beacon of sustainable development, in large part thanks to the efforts of the Columbia Green Building Council. Photo courtesy of ProColombia
Photo courtesy of Taller de Arquitectura de Bogotá
6. London
Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the Maggie’s Centre Barts cancer center makes use of translucent wall panels for effective daylighting purposes while also providing patients with privacy. Photo courtesy of Steven Holl Architects
Not only is London one of the most sustainable cities in the world, but it also seeks to become the world’s first National Park City, with a goal of being zero-carbon by 2050. The city strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60% by 2025—encouraging architects and builders to think along the same lines.
The potential new title reflects on how urban and environmental aspects of London often combine. Famous urban sites intertwine with more than 35,000 acres of public green spaces maintained by the city—40% of its entire area. There are more than 700 green roofs in central London alone, and it is also home to one of the most sustainable mass transport systems in the world. In 2003, city officials introduced the transit tax to encourage use of public transport and reduce car emissions.
Bloomberg European Headquarters
Designed by Foster+Partners, Bloomberg’s European headquarters has the highest BREAAM rating of any office building in the world. Photo by Nigel Young
Bloomberg’s new European headquarters, completed in 2017 in the heart of London, earned a 98.5% BREEAM rating, the highest score for an office building to date. The “breathable” walls open and close based on weather conditions, resulting in a reduced dependency on mechanical ventilation and cooling equipment. Aluminum ceiling tiles assist in the heating, cooling, lighting, and acoustics of the building. Rather than using a traditional office fluorescent light system, the building has 500,000 LED lights—using 40% less energy.
The impressive interior of Bloomberg’s European headquarters is as sustainable as it is practical and operates much more efficiently than most buildings of its size. Photo by Nigel Young / Foster+Partners
The Bloomberg building is also a zero-landfill facility—and has been since construction began in 2010. Instead of going to the landfill, waste is composted or converted to energy. The workplace uses a waste system that allows a greater proportion to be recycled. All of these innovations are paving the way for green developments in sustainable cities, and future National Park Cities, across the world.
The Stratford
The Stratford—a sustainable 42-story residential and hotel high-rise in East London. Photo by Hufton + Crow Photography
Designed by SOM, the Stratford in London showcases just how effective high-density high-rises can be at promoting sustainability, reclaiming contaminated sites, and reducing urban sprawl.
“The densification of cities is critically important if we are going to fit more humans onto this planet, so there is of course the many benefits of it being a high-density residential building on a compact site,” Mina Hasman, associate director and sustainability lead at SOM, told gb&d in a previous interview. “And the land itself was a brownfield site, so we took advantage of being able to rectify the negative impacts this contaminated, empty site was having on the community.”
Oriented so as to make the most out of natural wind currents, The Stratford is able to passively cool and cross-ventilate itself, reducing energy usage and the building’s operating costs. A corrugated curtain wall and high-performance façade help maximize the admittance of natural light while minimizing the amount of solar heat gain. When necessary, the building uses a district-wide water-based heating and cooling system—which is more sustainable and efficient than conventional HVAC systems—to regulate interior temperatures.
Of the building’s notable features, however, none are more impressive than the three sky gardens. Seeded with native plant species, the sky gardens provide habitats for crucial pollinators and migratory birds, while also serving to improve psychological health and promote interactions between occupants.
7. Boston
Thanks to progressive climate policies and an abundance of green building projects, Boston is considered to be one of the most sustainable cities on the East Coast. Photo by Eric Roth
Sustainable development isn’t just limited to new construction projects, as evidenced by the recently renovated Boston Public Library. Photo by Robert Benson Photography
Once completed, the GE Innovation Point campus will include passive solar design elements, photovoltaic solar panels, rooftop gardens, and innovative water catchment and reuse systems. Rendering courtesy of Gensler
ZeroEnergy Design’s house in Boston’s Wellesley neighborhood is highly efficient and makes use of several sustainable design strategies. Photo by Eric Roth
8. Cape Town
Cape Town is widely regarded as one of the most sustainable cities in both South Africa and the entire African continent. Photo courtesy of Pixabay
Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront is a mixed-use development that houses numerous sustainable building projects. Photo courtesy of V&A Waterfront
No single area is more symbolic of the transformation bubbling over in the Western cape than the bustling V&A Waterfront, a mixed-use sustainable development encompassing more than 300 acres of residential and commercial buildings. More than 21,000 people work there, 1,500 live there, and as many as 180,000 visit daily. While the V&A Waterfront plays an important role in the economy of the area, it also plays an even more important role in the fight to preserve resources.
The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art resides in a former grain silo and makes use of an array of sustainable features, such as a seawater cooling ventilation system. Photo by Patrick King
One of the green projects at the Waterfront is the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), which opened in September 2017 and was designed by Heatherwick Studios, a renowned British architectural firm.
Housed in a converted grain silo built in the 1920s, Zeitz MOCAA required that developers find innovative ways to preserve and acknowledge the building’s history while recycling and reusing material, minimizing the carbon footprint, and still giving it a new, contemporary use—essentially “reverse-engineering” sustainability into the property via adaptive reuse.
Some of these upgrades, such as installing sensor-activated taps in restrooms and changing lighting controls, were fairly straightforward and easy to implement, while other factors—such as temperature regulation—required more complex solutions. To reduce Zeitz MOCAA’s reliance on mechanical air-conditioning, the entire Silo District is cooled using a seawater cooling ventilation system, which uses cold water from the Atlantic Ocean to regulate internal building temperatures.
“The cooling system replaces energy-hungry air conditioning. Ice-cold water from the Atlantic sea is piped throughout the building and returned into the sea. This seawater is so cold it cools the air around it, eliminating the need for air-conditioning and other cooling systems,” Donald Kau, head of communications at the V&A Waterfront, previously told gb&d.
Radisson RED Hotel
9. Melbourne, Australia
Designed by artist Robert Owen in partnership with the Denton Corker Marshall architectural firm and modeled after an aboriginal fish trap, the Webb Bridge in Melbourne provides pedestrians with a safe place to walk and bike in the city. Photo from iStock
Over the last two decades, Melbourne has made strides to improve the city’s overall sustainability, especially with regards to residential and commercial buildings. Photo by Trevor Mein
This effort has been supported by programs like the 1200 Buildings retrofit program, the commercial office program CitySwitch, and the residential apartment program Smart Blocks, in which the city provides building owners and tenants access to financial incentives and grants to help existing buildings increase their uptake of energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions.
Since 2010 the owners of more than 540 commercial office buildings in Melbourne have retrofitted to improve energy and water efficiency.
101 Collins
Originally built in the 1990s, 101 Collins was renovated to improve the building’s energy efficiency, resulting in the installation of over 150 photovoltaic solar panels. Photo courtesy of 101 Collins
55 Southbank Boulevard
55 Southbank Boulevard is the tallest mass timber building in Melbourne and makes extensive use of cross-laminated timber, a sustainable material that sequesters carbon throughout its operational lifespan. Photo by Peter Clarke
In keeping with the topic of tall buildings, Melbourne is also home to one of the world’s tallest mass timber buildings: 55 Southbank Boulevard. Designed by Australian architectural firm Bates Smart, 55 Southbank is an extension of an older commercial building built in 1989 and now serves as a hotel.
Constructed using approximately 5,300 tons of FSC-certified cross-laminated timber, 55 Southbank is estimated to offset annual atmospheric CO2 emissions by roughly 4,200 tons.
10. Seattle
Designed by McLennan Design, Heron Hall is located on Bainbridge Island, and island just off of Seattle’s coastline. It functions as both a living building and laboratory for Jason McLennan himself. Photo by Daniel Banko
NorthEdge sits on the site of a former brownfield and its design was largely informed by sustainable water management practices. Photo by Lara Swimmer
Designed by McGranahan Architects, the Bates College Advanced Technology Center is a LEED Gold-certified building with a high focus water and energy efficiency. Photo by Francis Zera
While the buildings of major companies often steal the spotlight in Seattle, green design is booming all over the city, even in places that have historically struggled with economic and gang-related challenges, such as the Central Tacoma and Hilltop neighborhoods where Bates Technical College built a LEED Gold–certified technology center.
The sustainable features of the Bates College Advanced Technology Center include a green roof that captures rainwater runoff, while a ground source heat exchanger and heat recovery from the server tower offer an estimated 35% reduction in energy use, saving nearly $25,000. Irrigation and domestic water use reduction features also save hundreds of gallons of water each year.
The Beach at Expedia Headquarters
Expedia Group commissioned Surfacedesign to improve public enjoyment of its headquarters’ 2.6 waterfront acres. Restoring biodiversity and rejuvenating soil health were two of the project’s main goals. Photo by Marion Brenner
Located just north of downtown Seattle on the rugged edge of Elliot Bay, the Beach at Expedia Global Headquarters is a prime example of the role our built environment plays in maintaining and preserving local ecological communities.
Encompassing approximately 2.6 acres of waterfront, The Beach—designed by Surfacedesign—implements elements of adaptive reuse and makes extensive use of reclaimed materials like timber, stone, and driftwood. Walkways and bicycle paths wind through the site, abutted by bioretention areas to effectively mitigate stormwater runoff in compliance with the project’s Salmon-Safe certification.
Perhaps the most important component of The Beach’s development—and one that is often overlooked in sustainable design projects—was its focus on restoring and maintaining soil health. Due to its previous development, the site’s existing soil had been depleted of key nutrients and was largely devoid of diverse microbiological life—what little healthy soil remained was collected and used to develop soil blends with similar characteristics to that of the site’s native soil.
“This approach established sustainable and resilient soils and planting communities that will continue to grow into natural balance with the Seattle environment,” Michal Kapitulnik, a partner of Surfacedesign, previously wrote for gb&d. “Soil testing and monitoring after installation informed formulation of compost tea blends used to seasonally inoculate the soil and plants, stimulating biological activity and resilience without the use of chemical fertilizers or other inputs.”
By cultivating a healthy soil profile, the team at Surfacedesign was able to effectively xeriscape with plants and grasses indigenous to the Puget Sound. Special attention was focused on those plants capable of attracting and harboring wildlife, so as to bolster and maintain taxonomic diversity.
Lauren Bell contributed to this article
