10 Most Innovative Sustainable Cities Recognized

From Tokyo to New York City to Bogota, the ten cities recognized by Siemens and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group demonstrate that the most innovative initiatives addressing climate change are being developed and implemented at the local level. "[E]ncompassing the most important aspects of climate action," the ten categories selected for evaluation include: urban transportation, carbon measurement & planning, sustainable communities, and waste management.

"Take all of the best qualities of these municipalities--effective road management, cap and trade, sustainable energy, excellent public transportation, a zero waste program, and so on--and you have an urbanist's dream city," writes Ariel Schwartz. "That dream city may not be a reality yet, but the first step to creating one (or many) is learning from cities that already excel in specific areas."