How sustainable is the city you live in? The Urban Ecosystem 2024 report, published by Legambiente in collaboration with Environment Italy And Il Sole 24 Oreoffers us a clear and often surprising answer.
Among the 106 capital cities analyzed this year, emerging as a leader in sustainability and quality of life is Reggio Emiliawhich displaces Trento from the historic podium and positions itself at the top, overtaking other cities in Northern Italy in a general framework that sees the South still in trouble.
But be careful, there are some surprises: if in fact cities like Naples, Catania and Palermo occupy the last positionsthere are cases like that of Cosenza, which reaches 13th place. With new indicators and updated assessments, the 2024 ranking photographs a two-speed Italy, where urban sustainability no longer seems to be just an option, but a necessity.
Emilia Romagna emerges as the leading region in sustainability with three cities in the top ten positions: in addition to Reggio EmiliaAlso Parma And Bologna (the only large city in the top ten) stand out for the progress made in the field of waste sorting and of sustainable mobility.
A victory for the environment and the community
At the top of the ranking, Reggio Emilia gained first position thanks to important collection results recycling, fight against smog and development of cycle mobility. The city has achieved a separate waste collection rate of 83.8%, well above the national average, and boasts the largest cycle network in Italy, with 48.14 meters of paths for every 100 inhabitants. Furthermore, it recorded a reduction in water consumption and a significant increase in the number of passengers on public transport, underlining the city’s growing focus on sustainable mobility.
In second place we find Trentpreviously at the top of the ranking for a long time, which nevertheless confirms excellent environmental management. Parmain third place, showed significant growth, recovering fifteen positions compared to last year thanks to improvements in the efficiency of public transport and urban mobility.
The large metropolises in difficulty
Among the top ten positions we mainly find cities in Northern Italy: as well as Reggio Emilia, Trento and Parma, there are Pordenone, Forlì, Treviso, Mantua, Bologna, Bolzano and Cremona.
The fate of the main Italian cities is different, with Milan, Naples and Rome who are struggling. Milan places only at 56th placedespite the excellence in public transport; Naples, slipped to 103rd placehighlights a deterioration in environmental performance compared to the previous year. Rome shows improvement, going from 89th to 65th place but the weight of environmental critical issues remains considerable.
The South is in trouble, but with virtuous exceptions
The results of the South still show a strong delay compared to the rest of Italy: eight southern capitals are in the last ten positions in the rankingwith Catania closing the ranking in 106th place. However, Cosenza stands out positively in 13th place, showing that environmental efficiency is also possible in the Southern regions, albeit with a slight worsening compared to last year.
Among the few positive notes for the South there is L’Aquila, which stands out for its air quality with the lowest incidence of PM10 among all Italian citiesAnd Ragusa, also rated positively for air quality.
An ecological revolution that is too slow
“Despite ongoing efforts, the ecological revolution in Italian cities is proceeding at too slow a pace” – he comments Stefano Ciafanipresident of Legambiente. This year’s survey shows how Italian municipalities are grappling with chronic problems: smog, pollution, land consumption, inefficiencies in transport systems and, more recently, the growing impact ofovertourism. Cities need support and an Italian Green Deal that includes structural interventions, adequate financing and a common vision to tackle the climate crisis, urban regeneration and sustainable mobility.
The Urban Ecosystem 2024 introduced significant changes in the evaluation criteria, adding new indicators to offer a more accurate representation of urban sustainability. The twenty indicators used are divided into six thematic categories – air, water, waste, mobility, urban environment and energy – and are the result of constant study, necessary to reflect the reality and challenges that Italian cities are facing.