Sydney is recognized as the most sustainable city in the country and ranks 10th in the world

The Global Destination Sustainability Index also ranked Sydney as the tenth most sustainable city in the world, up 19 places from last year. Melbourne was ranked 24th and Brisbane was 33rd.

In line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the index looks at how cities are making tourism and events more sustainable. It tracks efforts in environmental stewardship, social progress, supplier management and destination management.

The City of Sydney collaborated with Destination NSW and Business Events Sydney on its application for the rankings.

“People around the world already know that Sydney is an amazing place to visit, and this ranking helps put our city in the spotlight as organizers look for vibrant, eco-friendly conference and convention venues,” says the City of Sydney team.

“As the country’s leading sustainable destination, we will continue to create the conditions to responsibly stimulate the visitor economy.

“Congratulations to all the organizations in our Sustainable Destination Partnership, which supports the events and hospitality sector to enable them to do business more sustainably. Your work brings incredible results.”

Since the pandemic, the city has seen a decline in housing development applications (DAs), while other approved housing applications have not started.

Since 2020, new home building approvals have fallen by around 10.5% across all Australian capital cities. As of June 2023, DAs have been issued for 7,631 approved dwellings that have not been built in the Sydney metropolitan area.

This situation has arisen as a result of a perfect storm of pandemic and post-pandemic conditions, including soaring construction costs, labor shortages, prolonged wet weather, financial constraints, rising interest rates, and increased regulation for developers, builders and certifiers.