Nearly 40 percent of Chinese cities were rated as developing in an unsustainable way, according to a report released?in Beijing?on Monday.

The report, focusing on sustainable development of Chinese cities, was based on joint research of Columbia University, China's Tsinghua University and McKinsey.

The research covered 112 cities on an official list of those considered in poor shape with regards to sustainability. It used information from China's National Bureau of Statistics as their major source.

The research taskforce created a standard for measuring the sustainability of cities' development. Of the 112 cities surveyed over the three-year period from 2005 to 2008, 44 of them had become much less sustainable.

It also noted that Chinese cities had made remarkable progress on providing safe drinking water, health care and education, but still failed to meet the standards set by developed countries and the World Health Organization concerning air pollution control and sulfur dioxide emissions control.