About this Discussion

Urban centres provide opportunities for a range of social and cultural activities, as well as being critical for innovations in science, technology and education. They are also of critical importance for social and economic development. However, with approximately 40% of global energy use taking place within city buildings, this sector is also the single largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.

As a result, the design and use of energy and resource-efficient buildings has a key role in climate change mitigation to accelerate the global green economy transition. Although vast savings are possible by constructing new green buildings and retrofitting existing buildings, even greater gains can be achieved by adopting a long-term life-cycle approach involving stakeholders at different stages – from environmentally-minded investors and architects, to sustainable extraction, construction and usage, and the eventual demolition and the recycling or disposal of the building materials.

Cities are well-placed to play a major role in decoupling economic development from resource use and environmental impacts, while finding a better balance between social, environmental and economic objectives. Resource-efficient cities combine greater productivity and innovation with lower costs and reduced environmental impacts, offering at the same time financial savings and increased sustainability.

Cities and Urban Development

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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Futures has published its first chapters as part of the Living Reference

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https://medium.com/mark-and-focus/palgrave-encyclopedia-of-urban-and-regional-futures-ddeb68602290

Urban wetlands breathe life into Sri Lanka’s capital city -- Colombo is built on and around wetlands, which keep people safe from floods, cool the air, filter polluted water, provide food and medicines, fight climate change, and provide city dwellers respite from the urban jungle. However, during the last 30 years, an estimated 40% of the wetlands in Colombo has been lost due to direct and indirect impacts of urbanization. If Colombo were to lose all its precious wetlands, the city would be flooded annually costing as much as 1% of its GDP in flood damage...

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https://blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinsouthasia/urban-wetlands-breathe-life-sri-lankas-capital-cit...

Today WRI and NewClimate Institute, in collaboration with ICAT, unveiled a new tool to better recognize the importance of climate action by businesses, regions and cities.

The Climate Action Aggregation Tool enables researchers and policymakers to quantify the impact of region, city and business emission-reduction efforts, evaluate how they complement national policies and determine the combined impact of joining national and subnational climate action. The Excel-based tool guides users in a step-by-step process to determine the scope of their research, compile non-state and subnational data and analyze the findings.

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https://climateactiontransparency.org/icat-toolbox/climate-action-aggregation-tool/

Cities are turning to green infrastructure to improve water quality and manage water quantity by restoring the hydrologic function of the urban landscape. One city doing so is Raleigh, North Carolina.

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https://medium.com/mark-and-focus/rewarding-the-capture-of-rainwater-f51454b622f8
Green Growth Knowledge Partnership(GGKP), the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP), International Resource Panel(IRP), World Economic Forum(WEF), Ellen MacArthur Foundation

On 2 February (2pm CET), join the GGKP, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, International Resource Panel (IRP), World Economic Forum (WEF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for a discussion on how to put "more intensive use" strategies into practice in the housing and mobility sectors. Read More

The World Bank, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

The World Bank and WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities invite you to Transforming Transportation 2021, the leading conference on mobility and sustainable development. Whether it’s about connecting people to education and health, boosting economic growth, or taking on climate change, the global… Read More

Bloomberg Philanthropies

CityLab 2021 will bring together local leaders and experts to share innovative ideas and scalable solutions to move communities forward. As cities face the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, they must begin to rebuild and restore local economies, address social injustice and inequity, advance… Read More