If cities are going to balance the patterns of human life and both the built and natural environments, then they are going to need integrated solutions which guide sustainable urban development.
ICLEI, the global network of more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development, has outlined 5 pathways towards low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient, and circular development that is designed to create systemic change.
If you missed the ICLEI World Congress virtual launch this past week (and fear you missed out – you did!), never fear, we’ve collected some of our favorite quotes, takeaways, and ideas from all of the sessions.
The ICLEI World Congress virtual launch provided a unique opportunity for local and regional governments to come together to celebrate and recognize the critical contributions of cities, towns, and regions toward a sustainable future.
You can watch all of the session replays here.
Here are a few of our favorite interactions, broken down by the 5 ICLEI Pathways of low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient, and circular development:
Low Emission
At #ICLEIcongress, H.E. Shinjirō Koizumi, @MOEJ_Climate, highlights the three key actions that Japan is promoting: Redesign, Zero-Carbon City, and Decarbonization Domino Effect.
— ICLEI (@ICLEI) April 15, 2021
Nature-based
“This crisis is an opportunity for cities & their citizens to mobilize in support of #nature. They have a critical role in ensuring that the economic recovery is done in a way to benefit people & the planet.”
–@mremae, Executive Secretary @UNBiodiversity #ICLEICongress pic.twitter.com/4L0nRSK6fT
— Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework . EU Support (@4Post2020BD) April 14, 2021
[The current crisis] represent an opportunity for #cities & citizens to mobilize in support of #nature. The good news is that nature-based solutions for urban development exist & work but they must be scaled up.
~ Elizabeth Maruma Mrema @mremae, @UNBiodiversity at #ICLEICongress pic.twitter.com/Vmg4HL0RaV
— ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center (@ICLEICBC) April 14, 2021
Equitable
It seems completely natural that the equitable and people-centered session is the first of the program. When we build sustainable cities, we have to have a holistic approach. In a sustainable city, no one is left behind@KatrinS_J, @malmostad Mayor | #ICLEI First Vice President
— ICLEI (@ICLEI) April 13, 2021
Another great conversation about equitable cities, hosted by @ICLEI & @malmostad at #ICLEICongress. Some of my absolute favorite city leaders (and fav cities) in this brilliant group! While men were also in the panel, amazing to see so many committed female local leaders.
???????? https://t.co/gcAXtgpPKO pic.twitter.com/UcDsDf0XDt— Jennifer Lenhart, PhD (@jenn_lenhart) April 13, 2021
Resilient
#Entebbe is taking #ClimateAction4Africa. Mayor Vincent de Paul Kayanja just spoke at #ICLEIcongress on overcoming challenges on resilient development.
Initiatives showcased during the session: #RaceToResilience, @UNDRR’s #MCR2030 and @ICLEI_ResCities pic.twitter.com/05qd66JNWV
— ICLEI Africa (@ICLEIAfrica) April 15, 2021
The world is going to become 70% urban in the next decade, while climate change threatens cities
Cities have an opportunity because they bring together 2 aspects of climate change
????mitigation
????adaptation????@SaleemulHuq, Director @ICCCAD & Senior Assoc. @IIED#ICLEIcongress pic.twitter.com/eSKXmLDJOI
— Luca Arbau (@LucaSinEse) April 15, 2021
Circular development
On the 2nd Day of @ICLEI #ICLEIcongress my take is from the the #CircularEconomy in cities more at https://t.co/v5gATrkBwA and https://t.co/2iYfp5hSS6 with the leadership from https://t.co/iFlnL5w7u0 @ICLEI_advocacy @minnaarve @martijnlopes #futureofcities @c40cities @RathorePro pic.twitter.com/akSc1MrnXV
— Kaj Embren (@KajEmbren) April 14, 2021
Finally, the biggest “don’t miss” comes from the ICLEI Malmö Commitment and Strategic Vision 2021-2027 that was adopted by ICLEI Membership. The document lays out how the ICLEI network will advance sustainable urban development for the next six years, locally and globally, in an era where the local, regional, and national governments are continuing to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, while advancing urgent action on climate, nature, land and health.
Watch the recordings of all six sessions from the ICLEI World Congress Virtual Launch: worldcongress.iclei.org/program/virtual-launch/
Register for the 2022 ICLEI World Congress in Malmö, Sweden: worldcongress.iclei.org/
Shareable is partnering with ICLEI on a special series to cover the 2021-2022 World Congress. All articles can be found here: www.shareable.net/iclei-world-congress-2021-2022/
