NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Music City is being rated as one of the least eco-friendly areas in the United States, with a new study placing Nashville in the number one spot out of 50 cities.
A recent study by ParkSleepFly looked at the 50 most visited cities in the nation to reveal the most and least sustainable travel destinations. The rankings were based on factors like sustainable hotels, public transport usage and pollution levels. Each city was then given a score out of 10. Nashville claimed the title of the least sustainable city in the country by earning a score of 3.46.
Data shows Nashville came in as the number one least eco-friendly city among the 50 most visited cities across the nation. According to the study, Nashville was the lowest scoring city when it came to air pollution, with cities like New York and Seattle reporting cleaner air quality levels than Nashville.
ParkSleepFly says Music City also scored poorly for its cycle path infrastructure with only 0.6 miles serving as protected pathways. The less than one-mile cycle path infrastructure is a far cry from the 124 miles of cycle path infrastructure available to cyclists in New York City, which the study ranks as the third most sustainable city in the United States.
The top 5 most sustainable destinations in the nation:
- Portland, Oregon
- Seattle, Washington
- New York City, New York
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Denver, Colorado
Despite being ranked as the least sustainable city on the list, Nashville did score a lower congestion level with the average journey in peak travel taking just 19% longer than it would without any traffic, a much lower percentage compared to New York City’s 35%.
To view the most and least sustainable cities in the US, click here.
