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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A case study of development and utilization of urban underground space in Shenzhen and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0886779820306052

An alternative method for analyzing dimensional interactions of urban carrying capacity: Case study of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479720309920

"I won’t make the same mistakes again" - Mayor of Milan reflects on the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for sustainable solutions to drive a green and just recovery, which include a ban on diesel heating systems in public and private office buildings from October 2023.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/05/milan-mayor-covid-strategy-beppe-sala-pandemic-green-s...

Bloomberg Philanthropies launches its first Global Mayors Challenge: Cities with populations of 100,000 or more can submit urban innovation initiatives, it's only open to local governments and only one proposal per city will be accepted.

What can cities win? 15 winners will receive USD1 million each to implement their winning idea, 50 finalists will receive technical support to improve their ideas. The first 500 submissions will receive help to prepare the proposal. Completed application must be submitted by 21 March 2021.

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https://thegreenforum.org/opportunities/2021-global-mayors-challenge
https://youtu.be/W3x5wrzp5e8
Call for Applications:

2021 Global Mayors Challenge

Closing:
Bloomberg Philanthropies

COVID-19 has changed daily life for people around the world and required that cities do more with fewer resources than ever before. Yet, even in the face of a public health crisis, social unrest, massive budget shortfalls, and mounting climate disasters, mayors are innovating and taking bold steps… Read More

Sonam Sahu commented on Sonam Sahu's Post in Cities and Urban Development, Climate Change

Example from Indonesia - How nature-based and green infrastructure solutions are helping increase city’s resilience while providing co-benefits such as environmental sustainability and eco-tourism.

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https://blogs.worldbank.org/eastasiapacific/indonesia-enhancing-urban-flood-resilience-investments-h...

Watering our Cities: The capacity for Water Sensitive Urban Design to support urban cooling and improve human thermal comfort in the Australian context

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https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0309133312461032

Urban Heat Island and Overheating Characteristics in Sydney, Australia. An Analysis of Multiyear Measurements

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https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/5/712