Plenty of us might struggle to envisage life outside of a city, but even the keenest townies need a hit of nature every now and then – it’s proven to be beneficial to our mental and physical health, after all.
Lots of cities have impressive nature-scapes as their backdrops, and others have introduced green spaces into their metropolises in really innovative ways. So, to shed some light on which cities do green space best, we quizzed 18,500 locals about the access they have to nature – and the results are in.
Topping ’s brand-new ranking is Medellín, Colombia’s sprawling second city, where a whopping 92 percent of locals described nature and green space as either ‘good’ or ‘amazing’.
Recommended: These are the best cities in the world for culture right now.
Medellín has a river running straight through it, the banks of which are lined with a network of green spaces known as the Parques del Rio. The city is also home to innovative ‘green corridors’, a series of tree-lined, plant-filled thoroughfares.
Known as the ‘city of eternal spring’, Medellín has consistently high daytime temperatures, meaning its concrete streets get pretty damn hot. These ‘green corridors’, which were first introduced back in 2016, decreased the city’s average daily temperature by 2C in the first three years – cool, eh?
In second place on our ranking was Boston, and third place went to Sydney. However, our full roundup also includes destinations in the US, Europe, the Middle East and South Africa.
Check out our brand-new roundup of the 20 best cities in the world for access to green space and nature.
Did you see that these are Europe’s next summer hotspots, according to editors?
Plus: These are all the winning shots from the World Food Photography Awards.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.
