by Sophia Rettberg, Resilient Cities 2019 Guest Blogger Environmental hazards such as flooding, heat waves and droughts are increasingly common challenges for cities around the globe. As these issues demand on-going adaptation and innovation, local governments have turned to design thinking – a people-centered approach for building products and services – for solutions. Landscape architecture and
With unprecedented economic development and urban expansion in China, private car ownership is on the rise, along with severe traffic congestion and air pollution. This is especially true in larger, wealthier cities but is a looming issue for smaller Chinese cities as well. Smaller cities and rural communities also are seeing increasing car ownership and
Authors: André Confiado, Cities Unit, UN Environment; Joke Dufourmont, Programme Lead, Jobs & Skills Programme, Circle Economy; Marion Guénard, Circular Development Officer, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability Cities around the world are recognizing that the circular economy not only addresses resource scarcity and climate change but also can strengthen local economies and create
Lykke Leonardsen is constantly thinking about rainy days… even when it’s sunny outside. But you really can’t blame her. Ever since Copenhagen’s 100-year storm on July 2 of 2011, which caused major flooding and extensive infrastructure damage, city officials such as Leonardsen, who heads Copenhagen’s program for Resilient and Sustainable City Solutions, have been preoccupied
By Tsu-Jui Cheng, Sustainable Mobility Program Manager, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and Sunandan Tiwari , Director of Global Implementation, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability Increasing globalization and consumerism have changed the way goods are transported and cities are at the frontlines of managing the logistics of freight. At the International Transport Forum
With the release of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) global assessment, it is increasingly clear that biodiversity and natural ecosystems play a crucial role in maintaining the health of the planet, particularly in the face of climate change. The natural environment provides many valuable and free services that contribute directly
By Rebecca Wessinghage, Transition Concepts Officer, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. This article also appears on the Urban Transitions Alliance website. Industrial legacy cities often have a history of quick population growth, urban sprawl and single-purpose urban planning. These factors have led to development trajectories that separated industrial districts from residential districts, creating car-centric
Keep important events for ICLEI and the LGMA constituency, along with strategic and educational opportunities, right in your calendar! As of February 2019, the ICLEI World Secretariat is now maintaining a global events list that highlights political events (such as UNFCCC meetings), webinars (from our Advocacy team and more), and conferences that contribute to the
According to a recent report of Circle Economy, our world is currently 9% circular, meaning that current production systems rely 91% on extracted resources, most of which end up being discarded as waste, lost to the global economy and degrading the global environment as pollutants. The report further shows that extraction, processing and production globally account
The Regional and Circular Ecological Sphere, introduced by the Government of Japan, provides a framework for cities and regions to plan out green, circular economies that work as efficiently as possible. The concept of the circular economy is key for the future of sustainable development. Its core premise is to decouple economic activity from the