The world's greenest cities

It's perhaps hard to quantify what makes one city greener than another, but the folks at holiday rental site HouseTrip have taken stock of several characteristics of eco-friendly cities. From tree planting and car ownership to energy and water usage, which are the standout 'green' cities?

HouseTrip's info graphic (below) compares six cities who stand out on several measures: London, New York, Vancouver, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Stockholm.

Among the notable statistics compiled:

• Amsterdam has more bikes than people (1 bike for every 0.73 people)
• Copenhagen has passed a law requiring that all new buildings have green roofs - a measure that is expected to add 5,000 square meters of vegetation in the city)
• Only 44 percent of New Yorkers own a car, compared to 95 percent of the total U.S. population

While Vancouver's renewable energy sources (90 percent of its energy comes from these) make it the winner in energy efficiency, Stockholm takes the award for alternative transportation, as 93 percent of its residents walk, bike, or take public transportation to work. Amsterdam makes the most efficient use of water (only 32.2 gallons per person per day). And though New York City's carbon emissions (8.6 tons person) are far lower than the U.S. average (14.5 tons per person), they are higher than any of the European cities mentioned.

See the full info graphic below:

via [Fast Company]

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com