When it comes to natural beauty, Australia is a technicolour dream. From the turquoise waters and white sands of our beaches to the sunburnt deserts and golden sunsets of our outback, life here is anything but beige. But where our nation truly shines is on the spectrum of green. Our rainforests, national parks, wetlands and vineyards are undeniably lush – however, our urban centres also boast plenty of leafy spaces that you can explore on your lunch break. In fact, according to a Time Out survey of locals around the globe, Australia is home to three of the world’s 20 greenest cities.
To determine the rankings, we quizzed 18,500 locals across the planet about their green spaces and the access they have to nature. The 20 that made the list below had the highest share of ‘good’ or ‘amazing’ ratings.
Dubbed the ‘city of eternal spring’, Medellín in Colombia ranks as the top city for green thumbs and nature lovers, where a whopping 92 per cent of locals positively rated its green spaces and access to nature. Boston claims second place with 88 per cent ‘good’ or ‘amazing’ ratings, while Sydney shares third place with London, both scoring 87 per cent.
Our Emerald City (coincidence? We think not!) is bursting with green spots to escape the urban jungle, including the grand 189-hectare Centennial Park, the famous harbourside Royal Botanic Gardens, and the country’s oldest park, Hyde Park. Sydney doesn’t just boast excellent green spaces – it’s also a great base for getting out and exploring the great outdoors. On the city’s northwest perimeter, you’ll find the sprawling Blue Mountains National Park, while to the south, the spectacular Royal National Park awaits.
Melbourne also knocked it out of the park, ranking as the fifth-greenest city in the world. Tied with Austin and Edinburgh, it received an 86 per cent positive rating. There are plenty of places to take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life here, with our favourite nature spaces including the heritage-listed Fitzroy Gardens; the city’s biggest bushland reserve, Yarra Bend Park; its crowning jewel, the Royal Botanic Gardens; and the inner-city urban park, Birrarung Marr.
We also love to see Brisbane crack the list in position 20, with 76 per cent of locals giving its nature spaces a big (green) thumbs-up. This sunny city is full of grassy patches to set up a picnic or get some vitamin D – from the riverside parks of South Bank and West End to the horticultural havens of Roma Street Parkland and Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha. You can check out the full rankings below or study the results here.
Here are the 20 greenest cities in the world:
1. Medellín, Colombia
2. Boston, US
3. Sydney, Australia
= London, UK
5. Austin, US
= Edinburgh, UK
= Melbourne, Australia
8. Denver, US
9. Abu Dhabi, UAE
= Cape Town, South Africa
= Chicago, US
12. San Francisco, US
= Stockholm, Sweden
14. Montreal, Canada
= Munich, Germany
16. Mumbai, India
17. Beijing, China
18. Zurich, Switzerland
= Ottawa, Canada
20. Brisbane, Australia