Last week, we here at NRDC released our fourth annual rankings of “smarter cities” across the US.  What are smarter cities? Well, I’ll let the website speak for itself:

When thinking about the urban environment, more often than not problems come first to mind…Today urban leaders—mayors, businesses and community organizations—are in the environmental vanguard, making upgrades to transportation infrastructure, zoning, building codes, and waste management programs as well as improving access to open space, green jobs, affordable efficient housing and more. If they succeed in making their cities more efficient, responsible and sustainable, what will result will be smarter places for business and healthier places to live.

Of course, for me, the big news is how California just completely dominated the rankings.  Big cities, medium-sized cities, green building, recycling, transportation, water quality, you name it!  With about 10% of the country's population, we’re more than carrying our weight. Here’s just a sample:

• Six of the top 15 big cities overall are Californian: San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles
• Five of the top 10 big cities for water quality: LA, San Fran, Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento
• Five of the top 10 medium cities for overall standard of living: Thousand Oaks, Fremont, Irvine, Vallejo and Sunnyvale; and
• EIGHT of the top 10 medium cities for recycling: Santa Clarita, Santa Rosa, Irvine, Stockton, Burbank, Ventura, Ontario and Fullerton

Check out the rankings and see how your city measures up.