Multilevel climate governance: A hot topic for the next decade

The Talanoa Dialogue launched at COP23, the 23rd United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2017, is designed to take stock of and strengthen climate action globally. It also opens the door to a more inclusive and collaborative approach to climate governance by connecting nations and climate stakeholders. The Cities and Regions Talanoa Dialogues, facilitated by ICLEI – Local Governments 

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A match for resilience: The public sector and small and medium enterprises

by Sophia Rettberg, student at University College Maastricht and Resilient Cities 2018 volunteer For cities to advance resilient development strategies, it is critical to pool together and leverage all available resources. To facilitate long-term and future-oriented change, experts and researchers have initiated collaboration projects that combine the efforts of both the private and public sectors. 

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Four top ways to drive resilient urban development

We live in an increasingly urban world. Over half the global population lives in cities, and more than two-thirds will by 2050. At the same time, risks faced by urban areas are increasing. Millions of people are losing theirhomes, livelihoods or lives because of extreme weather, in both developed and developing countries. At least two-thirds 

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Letter from Ashok-Alexander Sridharan Mayor of Bonn and First Vice President of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability

  Dear ICLEI friends and colleagues,   Building resilience in our communities plays an important role in the actions we take as local leaders. The global climate is changing quickly, and urban communities are on the frontlines of this shift. At the same time, many cities are rapidly expanding and facing unprecedented social and technological 

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How to build urban climate resilience: A simple methodology for local governments

By Rahul Singh, Senior Project Officer – Sustainability at ICLEI South Asia and Bedoshruti Sadhukhan, Programme Coordinator – Sustainability at ICLEI South Asia It is projected that two-thirds of the global population will live in cities by 2050. According to the Global Commission on Economy and Climate, urban centers in India will house over 600 million people. Due 

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Why nature matters in our new urban world: Making the case for nature in cities

For over 10,000 years people have been irresistibly drawn to urban life, where they live, work and play in close proximity. Our early settlements often rose, quite literally, from mud to irrevocably transform society, necessitating the development of new codes of behavior and laws to reorganize ourselves in a world of close coexistence. We have 

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“We cannot do this alone”. Building resilience is a collective business – Final thoughts from Resilient Cities 2017

The world is at a tipping point. Whether it is a tipping point that promises a bright, sustainable future or one in which we’ll have to face growing challenges from climate change and unsustainable urbanization, is up to us. This message by David Stevens, Head of the UNISDR Bonn Office, sums up what the 2017 

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Hungry for more: Cities are shaping the global food agenda

It is clear that the food, urban, resilience and sustainability agendas must come together. At the Urban Food Forum at Resilient Cities 2017, Monika Zimmermann, Deputy Secretary General of ICLEI and Thierry Giordano, Decentralized Cooperation Advisor at FAO, drew an analogy between the way cities are seizing the food agenda and how they got a jump start on the 

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A growing menu for the urban food agenda

The regulars at the Resilient Cities congress might recall that when urban food first appeared as a topic in the congress series, it almost seemed out of place – a topic more fitting to the agricultural community than urbanists. The conversation started from the basics, emphasizing food as a system, which includes producers, consumers and many other stakeholders all along 

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Learn how to learn with Quito

Quito appreciates learning from other cities. Last October, they demonstrated their spirit of sharing and collaboration during the EcoMobility Days – held during the Habitat III conference – where they presented their transportation plans to cities and transport enthusiasts from all over the world to collect ideas for more integrated transportation. Once again, at Resilient Cities 2017, they 

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