Potsdam: Environmental quality in 15th place – where is the advancement?

Potsdam: Environmental quality in 15th place – where is the advancement?

Environmental quality in German cities is a hotly debated topic, and a new analysis from Lebenskraftpur brings a breath of fresh air to the debate. Potsdam, the charming city just outside Berlin, is an example of many challenges and successes in the green sector. At first glance, Potsdam seems to be a lively and green metropolis, but the evaluation of maz-online.de reveals that it only occupies 15th place in the nationwide ranking of 50 large cities.

Overall, Potsdam achieved 110.2 out of 200 possible points. This number is well above the national average of 96.3 points. But despite the positive approaches in the areas of air quality, waste management and drinking water quality, the East German comparison is not quite as glorious. Cities like Halle (5), Chemnitz (6) and Magdeburg (8) all rank ahead of Potsdam, while Rostock (18) and Leipzig (20) rank behind it. Another problem child is Erfurt, which ranks 28th, even below the national average.

A look at the categories

The analysis evaluates four crucial criteria: air quality, waste generation, drinking water quality and access to public green spaces. In the category of green spaces, Potsdam performs rather poorly with 20.7 points in 6th place out of 9 cities. Magdeburg and Berlin are at the top with 50 and 44.5 points. Potsdam also falls to fifth place in terms of waste generation with 32.9 points, but has to rank behind cities like Dresden (45.5 points).

Potsdam is particularly positive in terms of air quality. With 25.3 points, the city takes 5th place, but Chemnitz clearly leads the ranking with 36.4 points. In the area of ​​drinking water quality, Potsdam again achieved 5th place with 31.3 points, while Chemnitz achieved the maximum value of 50 points.

Focus on health and quality of life

The analysis is intended not only to present figures, but also to initiate a discussion about health and living conditions in cities. In this context, the results of the PwC study, in which professionals in twelve major cities were surveyed, are also informative. Nine out of ten city residents feel comfortable where they live, with cultural and leisure activities as well as job opportunities being highly valued. Nevertheless, the high traffic congestion and the tense housing market situation remain a challenge that affects many cities.

A close look at environmental quality in Potsdam shows that although the city does well in many areas, there is still room for improvement. The fight for placement in rankings is not only a question of pride, but also a reflection of the quality of life for citizens. Maybe it's time for Potsdam to roll up its sleeves and move even further forward in the next rankings.