What happens when bold cities, breakthrough ideas, and regional collaboration come together with purpose? You get a blueprint to accelerate climate neutrality and smart city solutions.

That’s exactly what the Kaohsiung–ICLEI Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Community of Practice (ComP) is designed to deliver. This two-year initiative (2025–2026) brings together leading cities, towns, provinces, and subnational states from East Asia and the Asia-Pacific regions ​​to actively collaborate to accelerate climate neutrality and smart city solutions in the region. The ComP aims to equip participants with cutting-edge tools, knowledge exchange, and strategic networking to drive urban transformation.

A powerful launch in Kaohsiung

The ComP officially launched on 18 March with its first in-person capacity-building workshop series hosted by Kaohsiung City, the Chair of the Community of Practice. This milestone gathering welcomed city representatives from Yokohama and Kyoto (Japan), Batangas and Iloilo (Philippines), Newcastle (Australia), and an expression of interest from Goyang City (Republic of Korea) to join the ComP.

Held at Kaohsiung’s pioneering Net-Zero Institute, which has trained over 3,000 professionals in net-zero technology and practice since 2023, the two-day workshop offered participants hands-on training in public-private partnerships, circular economy strategies, and  agenda-serving innovation tools tailored for climate action.

Applying innovation across many contexts

One of the central questions of the workshop was: What does innovation really mean in the context of cities? Participants challenged the narrow definition of innovation as purely technological, instead embracing broader interpretations that include policy, finance, and even social innovation.

Pourya Salehi, Head of Urban Research, Innovation, and Development at ICLEI, introduced the concept of agenda-serving innovation—a framework aligning innovation with long-term societal, environmental, and economic goals. “Agenda-serving innovation is a type of innovation that is purposeful and actively contributes to human well-being, social equity, and the regeneration of natural systems, rather than simply being new or efficient for its own sake.”

Building on this, the workshop introduced the Expanded Climate and Innovation Agenda for Cities and Regions (ECIA), a joint initiative by Mission Innovation, the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub, and ICLEI. 

The agenda promotes a dynamic solution approach that goes beyond the prevailing static problem approach which is typically incremental, sector-focused, and problem-centered. With a “dynamic solution approach” focusing on 1.5°C compatible solutions and leveraging the so-called fourth industrial revolution, leading cities can innovate to address local challenges while becoming exporters of globally sustainable climate solutions. 

“This agenda offers three key opportunities: A positive narrative making the climate challenge a chance for inclusive improvement; encouragement of collaboration through a focus on human needs fostering new clusters, and an embrace of transformative innovation,” explained Dennis Pamlin, Executive Director of Mission Innovation.

Using data to guide action: The ISUDA Survey

Another major highlight was the presentation of the ISUDA-based survey—ICLEI’s Integrated Sustainable Urban Development Assessment, a self-assessment tool developed under the UrbanShift program. It supports cities in mapping progress across 36 sustainability indicators spanning governance, environment, economy, and society.

In Kaohsiung, the ISUDA-based survey was customized and conducted across seven government departments, offering a grounded, data-driven view of the city’s strengths and capacity needs.

The survey revealed ten key areas for development, from integrated governance and public engagement to financial literacy and digital innovation. The findings are now directly informing extended capacity-building efforts for Kaohsiung, ensuring that future support is evidence-based and locally relevant.

Public-Private Partnerships: The engine behind scalable solutions

Digital innovation, when aligned with public needs, can unlock massive potential for cities—but only through effective public-private collaboration. Luis Neves, CEO of the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), underlined the importance of such partnerships.

“We value the partnerships and the interactions between the private and the public sector, because the bottom line is that you might have the solutions, but you also need the funding to scale up the solutions that make an impact.”

Neves showcased initiatives like the European Green Digital Coalition and the development of the Net Positive Impact methodology, emphasizing that sustainability depends not just on having the right tools, but on having the right alliances to implement and scale them.

From the city perspective, Elizabeth Adamczyk, Councillor from Newcastle, Australia, reminded participants of the practical constraints local governments face without collaborative backing: “The state sets a kind of ceiling for us, so for everything that we want to do beyond advocacy, we really need to have those partnerships—not just with industry and the private sector, but also civil society. We need the community to be there with us and go along with what we’re doing.”

Circularity and the built environment: A collective challenge

Circular economy strategies were another focal point, particularly in how they apply to buildings and urban infrastructure. Through ICLEI’s Circular Cities Action Framework, cities explored regulatory tools and investment models that support circular design, reuse, and sustainable construction.

Tim Stonemeijer, circular economy expert, emphasized that circular transitions demand multi-stakeholder collaboration: “Action, as is always the case, is for stakeholders across the built environment to work together, from policy, finance, business, industry, and cities, to local communities.”

Participants discussed how circular practices—such as reuse, refurbishment, and material recirculation—are not only environmentally sound but also increasingly investable, offering real-world benefits in emissions reduction and economic development.

Cities as connectors and catalysts

Wrapping up the workshop, Simone Sandholz, Head of the Urban Futures & Sustainability Transformation Programme at UNU-EHS, reinforced the pivotal role cities play in bridging global goals with local needs: “Cities are the connector between the national and the international level and the local communities. That, of course, gives huge responsibility but also huge opportunities. Cities together as a network can be extremely powerful.”

The Kaohsiung–ICLEI ComP has laid a solid foundation for regional collaboration on climate neutrality and smart city transformation. By prioritizing inclusive innovation, public-private partnerships, and evidence-based planning, the workshop set a clear direction for how cities can lead—not just adapt to—climate challenges.

As the network grows and deepens its activities through 2025 and 2026, it is clear that the strength of the Community of Practice lies in its shared vision, local grounding, and collective momentum toward climate-neutral and smart cities.