Paris has taken the crown as Europe’s greenest capital in a new body of research which looks at the number of parks, gardens and wildlife areas across the continent’s major cities.
Poll position was awarded to Paris on account of its high number of green spaces per 100,000 citizens; in total 171 parks, 127 gardens, one wildlife area, 16 playgrounds and ten bodies of water were counted. The study – conducted by straw specialist Drinking Straw – translates this as 7.62 parks and 5.66 gardens per 100,000 people.
Coming second, Luxembourg City boasts 13 green spaces, despite its smaller population.
Dublin ranked third, with 66 green spaces comprised of 34 parks, 15 gardens, seven nature and wildlife areas, six bodies of water, three playgrounds and one forest.
Fourth place went to Cardiff; the Welsh capital is home to a total of 37 green spaces.
On account of London’s large population the city missed out on a top ten position, coming 24th overall, while Edinburgh secured its place at number 17.
A spokesperson from Drinking Straw comments: “While it might be the case that Europe’s most populated capitals have the most infrastructure, this data shows that those at the top of the list also manage to combine that with a strong balance of people to green spaces as well. In the case of cities like Luxembourg and Paris, there are many green spaces compared to the number of people, meaning you won’t be far from a park or garden in most areas.”
