San Francisco came in at #2 on SustainLane’s 2006 U.S. City Sustainability Ranking list, which rates the 50 largest American cities in categories such as public transit, air quality, land use planning, economy, and affordability. Surpassed only by Portland, Oregon, our city scored 81.82 out of a possible 100 points on the sustainability scale.

SustainLane’s rankings measure indicators related not only to ecological sustainability, such as water quality and solid waste, but also to social well-being and “quality of life,” such as congestion and walkability. Efforts to green the economy, for example through the development of clean technology industries, are also evaluated.

One of the objectives of the U.S. City Sustainability Rankings is to measure how well our nation’s largest metropolitan areas are prepared to adapt to potential adverse impacts in the future, such as natural disasters, economic recession, or a forced transition away from fossil fuel-based energy sources. They also evaluate local government and city management in terms of how well these systems will be able to respond to the challenges of an uncertain global future.

San Francisco fared especially well in the areas of recycling and large-scale composting, development of solar energy, local food systems, bike transportation, and green buildings. Not surprisingly, we took a big hit in the housing affordability category, where we ranked #49 out of the 50 cities. Traffic congestion and natural disaster risk also pulled down our overall sustainability score.

Highlights of San Francisco’s sustainability ranking include the highest percentage of parks and open space of any American city (20% of the city’s land) and a relatively strong green building policy: all municipal buildings are required to obtain LEED Silver certification, and incentives are currently being developed to encourage sustainable building practices in the private sector.

The City by the Bay also earned high points for its leadership in the development of renewable energy systems. Since the passage in 2001 of the $100 million solar bond measure, San Francisco has installed a large-scale photovoltaic energy system on the rooftop of the Moscone Convention Center. Other solar and wind energy projects located on city-owned property are also underway.

To read the full U.S. City Sustainability Rankings and see how San Francisco compares to other American cities, visit http://www.sustainlane.us/overview.jsp.

See also the following Worldchanging archives:

“SustainLane Government” by Sarah Rich, October 16, 2006

“The ‘Most Sustainable Cities’: Houston, We Have a Problem” by Joel Makower, June 4, 2006