NYC ranked tops for carbon-friendly transportation

The New York metropolitan region topped the list again, reflecting its robust transit systems, its housing density and the large number of workers commuting by walking or riding a bicycle.

Areas with milder weather more conducive to walking and biking also performed well.

“We saw a clear benefit for better-weather places, because of all the active transportation,” StreeLight Chief Executive Laura Schewel said.

Areas most dependent on car travel ranked poorly.

“Nothing even comes close” in terms of pollution, Schewel said. Given the increase in working from home last year, however, vehicle miles traveled dropped to unprecedented lows.

“A lot of cities have a reputation for being ‘super green,’ but you have to look beyond the urban core—you really have to look at the whole metropolitan statistical area,” Schewel said, noting that people are likely to drive more as they relocate to the suburbs.

Sprawling metro areas such as Atlanta, Dallas and Riverside, Calif., were again ranked in the bottom 25%.

As electric vehicles and mass transit become more popular, carbon emissions among commuters are likely to be mitigated, StreetLight suggested.