Malmö, Sweden

Determined to ward off any challengers to its self-proclaimed moniker, “The Sustainable City” (den hållbara staden), Malmö has widely publicized that 2020 is the year that it will become “climate neutral” by relying on renewable energy for 50 percent of its energy usage. The extent to which the gem of Sweden's southern region is committed to attaining these ambitious goals is manifested in its master plan and by two official publications of the municipality; namely, Energy Strategy for Malmö 2008 and Environmental Program for Malmö 2009–2020. Although its population of 290,000 makes it Sweden's third city in terms of population, Malmö is not content to take a back seat to either Stockholm or Gothenburg on the world stage. Indeed, it has boldly proclaimed its “acceptance ...