Hot on the heels of news that the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne has been named among the world's top ten gardens, comes the big reveal that Melbourne has been ranked the fifth greenest city in a global list compiled by Time Out. Excuse us while we adjust our (flower) crown.
It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's had the pleasure of strolling through our city's many lush parks and gardens. From the grand beauty of the Royal Botanic Gardens to the peaceful tranquility of Fitzroy Gardens – and let's not forget the city's biggest bushland reserve, Yarra Bend Park – we Melburnians really are spoiled when it comes to easy access to nature. And have you even done Melbourne right if you haven't had a picnic and cheeky bev with mates in Eddy Gardens? That's right – so much of our socialising takes place in the city's green spaces.
To determine the rankings, Time Out quizzed 18,500 locals across the planet about their green spaces and the access they have to nature. The 20 that made the list had the highest share of ‘good’ or ‘amazing’ ratings. Melbourne really did knock it out of the park, receiving an 86 per cent positive rating that saw it share fifth spot with Austin and Edinburgh.
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.
The only other Aussie city to (just) crack the top 20 was Brisbane, with 76 per cent of locals giving its nature spaces a big (green) thumbs-up.
You can check out the full rankings below or study the results here.
Here are the 20 greenest cities in the world according to locals:
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
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.