Trying to figure out which Dutch city will help you cultivate that health-focused lifestyle? Well, the results are in — Groningen scores as the healthiest city in all of the Netherlands two years in a row.
25 Dutch cities were surveyed by consultancy and engineering organisation, Arcadis, to discover with was the healthiest city in terms of access to green areas, bicycle friendliness and combating heat stress, reports Het Parool.
And, the winners (and the losers!) have all been laid bare. 👀
Winner winner, chicken dinner
This is the second time in two years that Groningen has placed at the top of this list, a city clearly invested in providing lots of open, green spaces for its residents.
A major issue facing big cities nowadays is the increase in heat stress due to climate change. In order to combat this, cities are advised to have more green spaces and make economic use of building materials, such as avoiding the use of bricks in construction.
However, at the same time, a major housing shortage greets the entirety of the Netherlands, and cities must also build more homes and provide infrastructure for residents. 🤷♂️
No points for Amsterdam’s environment
Oh Amsterdam, our beloved Amsterdam, wherefore art thou at the bottom of the list?
Performing worst of all cities in terms of environmental friendliness and outdoor space, Amsterdam ranks at number 18 out of 25.
Despite this, Amsterdam has ranked the highest in terms of mobility. So, though the Dutch capital may not have many places to enjoy the greenery, you can still risk yourself on the cut-throat cycle lanes. 🚴♀️😱
In fact, the four major cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht) have all made less progress than other cities on the list. This is most likely due to bad air quality (probably because of all those people, and cars).
According to Acardis, many cities had more urgency in pushing for green areas due to people walking more, but now that people are again working from the office, this urgency seems to have disappeared.
The healthiest Dutch cities ranked
So, without further ado, here are the Netherlands’ healthiest (and not-so-healthy) cities!
| 1 | Groningen |
| 2 | Emmen |
| 3 | Apeldoorn |
| 4 | Nijmegen |
| 5 | Maastricht |
| 6 | Almere |
| 6 | Haarlemmermeer |
| 6 | Den Bosch |
| 7 | Amersfoort |
| 8 | Haarlem |
| 9 | Enschede |
| 10 | Breda |
| 11 | Arnhem |
| 12 | Eindhoven |
| 12 | Leiden |
| 13 | Leeuwarden |
| 14 | Utrecht |
| 15 | Terneuzen |
| 16 | Zoetermeer |
| 16 | Zwolle |
| 16 | The Hague |
| 17 | Tilburg |
| 18 | Amsterdam |
| 19 | Zaanstad |
| 20 | Rotterdam |
Does your city rank on this list? If so, where? Tell us in a comment below! 👇