Urban centers pursuing sustainable objectives is nothing new, but a new report evaluates the progress of 40 cities to determine where priorities lie. Big cities are pressing sustainability as a top priority, but need to further focus on the needs of low-income citizens, according to the Green Cities report.

Living Cities, an international collaboration of 21 of the world’s largest foundations and financial institutions, measured how 40 of the largest U.S. cities are working to reduce their carbon footprint. The top five cities studied, ranked by population, were New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix.

The report found that three-quarters of participating cities have or are developing plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The recent economic changes have prompted efforts towards energy-efficiency, mass transit and the ever popular green jobs.

Investment in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions vary greatly through the reported cities, and cities have anywhere from one to dozens of staff members working on climate change. Most cities were able to estimate their budgets for sustainability efforts handled through a number of programs, which generally fell between $150,000 and $500,000, with a high of $15 million. However, more than two-thirds of cities have reported that state and federal government had little or no impact on their work to reduce emissions.

Public transit use rose alongside mounting energy costs in virtually every city per the report, and significant numbers of cities are investing in at least one central strategy to boost mass transit. Escalating costs have also driven cities to develop programs to subsidize weatherization and efficient appliances. Metropolitan centers are also constructing more efficient buildings-- one in four cities have green building mandates that not only affect city buildings, but also apply to private (usually commercial) construction.

Four in five urban centers report that sustainability is a top five priority and more than half of the cities are either creating or developing plans to achieve sustainable objectives. The recent stimulus bill can supplement these sustainability plans during a time when cities are reeling from recession budget impacts.

Cities are also focused on attracting green jobs and industries, so much so that one in three cities has partnered with local colleges and created training programs that are green-focused. However, few cities are actually working with low-income communities as part of green strategies. Since one of the key tenets of sustainability is to work to meet all human needs, these types of programs need to be expanded. Ideally, cities will shift priorities to not only react to economic and environmental changes, but also to work to further connect low-income residents to the city’s mainstream economy.

“The emerging green economy can and must deliver opportunities to low-income people and communities, from lower energy and transportation costs, to good jobs and career paths,” said Ben Hecht, CEO of Living Cities.