Ecological System initiatives
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Urban Nature Accelerator - a C40 initiative
The C40 Urban Nature Accelerator is focused on delivering on two pathways and supporting greener and more resilient cities. It contains signatory cities that have signed up to achieve specific outcomes towards 2030 and beyond.
Urban Rewilding report by the C40 initiative
This report released in April 2023 offers a set of principles and project typologies for urban rewilding, as well as 22 best-practice case studies from around the world. It includes guidance on when and how urban rewilding projects can be implemented and how they can support city goals linked to environmental improvement and climate resilience.
URBAN GreenUp
URBAN GreenUP is a project funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme. Its objective is the development, application and replication of Renaturing Urban Plans in a number of European and non-European partner cities...
Rewilding Europe
Against the backdrop of rising global temperatures, biodiversity decline and the impact of COVID-19, the rewilding of Europe’s cities and surrounding areas can benefit people in myriad ways. The protection and enhancement of natural forests is key to delivering such benefits.
UK Urban Ecology Forum
The UK Urban Ecology Forum is a network of people, including ecologists, artists, managers, planners and researchers, involved with the environment and nature conservation in urban areas.
The Porous City Network
PCN’s objectives are to increase climate resilience in Bangkok through a built network of permeable public space projects, and expand knowledge of design solutions for climate resilience through research, outreach, and public education.
The UN Decade on Restoration
The Rewilding Community of Practice and Rewilding Academy invited Cain Blythe, CEO of Ecosulis, Juat Ying Ng, an assistant director of the sustainability office of Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, and Hakim El Amrani, biophilic designer and founder of Studio NousNous to discuss the ecological and social importance of restoration in cities...
World Urban Parks
WUP exists to promote and support the provision, effective management and use of urban parks, open space and recreation world-wide as an integral contribution to healthy communities connected to the natural world.
Urban Rewilding - Landscape Architecture
This piece looks at project work of graduating Landscape Urbanism students from London’s Architecture Association School.
Physical System initiatives - The Smart City
The UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development - Smart Cities
Building and shaping inclusive, liveable, and sustainable urban areas is an essential development priority – which is reflected by the Global Centre's creation of a dedicated smart cities programme.
The G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance
The G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance on Technology Governance unites municipal, regional and national governments, private-sector partners and cities’ residents around a shared set of principles for the responsible and ethical use of smart city technologies.
SCO - The Smart City Observatory
IMD and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), decided to join forces to produce a smart city index offering a balanced focus on economic and technological aspects of smart cities on the one hand, and “humane dimensions” of smart cities (quality of life, environment, inclusiveness) on the other.
The Intelligent Cities Challenge
The Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) is a European Commission initiative that supports 136 cities in using cutting-edge technologies to lead the intelligent, green and socially responsible recovery.
WEF Report on Governing Smart Cities
This report from 2021 by the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Deloitte, tracks the efforts of the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance, which seeks to advance the responsible and ethical use of smart city technologies.
What Works Cities (by Bloomberg)
What Works Cities is a major philanthropic effort to enhance cities’ use of data and evidence.
Streets of the Future (by e.on)
An interactive map by this energy company provides a view of innovative technologies that can power our homes, businesses and communities.
DUET - Digital Urban Environment Twins
DUET Digital Twins provide virtual city replicas to understand the interrelations between traffic, air quality, noise and other urban factors.
Cyber Security risks of Smart City technologies
This 2021 report aims to help local-level policymakers better understand how cyber-risks vary among different smart city technologies.
Physical System initiatives - Built Environment
The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC)
The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) works towards a zero-emission, efficient, and resilient buildings and construction sector.
Publications by the DGNB
The DGNB is the German Sustainable Building Council. A non-profit organisation based in Stuttgart, ever since it was founded in 2007 the DGNB has been committed to demonstrably good buildings and urban districts that are worth living in.
Buildings and the SDGs
This publication by the DGNB demonstrates in practical ways how buildings can tangibly contribute to achieving the SDGs. The publication introduces the reader to the topic of sustainable development and highlights that up to 15 SDGs are addressed by sustainable construction.
C40 Cities - Energy & Buildings
The C40 has a dedicated section on energy and buildings. C40 supports cities in implementing ambitious building energy efficiency initiatives and catalysing the cleaning up of the energy supply in line with a 1.5°C climate mitigation target.
GRESB Real Estate Assessments
The GRESB Real Estate Assessments capture information regarding ESG performance and sustainability best practices for real estate funds and companies worldwide.
The International Passive House Association
The International Passive House Association (iPHA) is a global network of Passive House stakeholders including architects, planners, scientists, suppliers, manufacturers, policymakers, contractors, property developers. It promotes the Passive House Standard and fosters a greater public understanding of highly energy efficient buildings.
Energy House 2.0
Energy House 2.0, located at the University of Salford in Manchester, UK, is a test facility to see how housing can be made more efficient and greener.
The Urban Sequoia concept by SOM
At COP26 SOM unveiled Urban Sequoia, a Proposal to Transform the Built Environment into a Network for Absorbing Carbon.
Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings - the RMI
Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) are energy-efficient buildings that flex their energy load from one time to another based on the cost or carbon intensity of grid electricity...
Socio-economic System initiatives
The Portal Unity Network
Have you heard about this global community that is building a connected artwork in the world to unite people together?
Cities Alliance
The Cities Alliance is a global partnership fighting urban poverty and supporting cities to deliver sustainable development. It is hosted by UNOPS.
Cities 4 Children
The name is a shorthand for their concerns for children, young people and their caregivers. Cities 4 Children is concerned with all urban areas: cities, towns, peri-urban areas and informal settlements in stable, developing and fragile contexts.
City Connects
City Connects is a US-based an evidence-based intervention that helps teachers and schools provide integrated supports to address the needs of students in schools serving under-resourced neighbourhoods and families.
The OECD Better Life Index
There is more to life than the cold numbers of GDP and economic statistics. This Index allows you to compare well-being across countries, based on 11 topics the OECD has identified as essential, in the areas of material living conditions and quality of life.
The Air Quality Life Index
Urban air quality is key. The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) converts air pollution concentrations into their impact on life expectancy. From this, the public and policymakers alike can determine the benefits of air pollution policies in perhaps the most important measure that exists: longer lives.
Urban Quiet Parks
Quiet Parks International is a non-profit committed to saving quiet for the benefit of all life.
Global Burden of Disease (GBD)
The GBD is an independent population health research organisation based at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
TRUUD
TRUUD stands for Tackling the Root causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development.
They are working with decision makers and communities to develop ways to prioritise health in urban planning decisions.
REALL
REALL creates the conditions for families to secure their own homes, working across five priority markets of Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda in Africa and India and Pakistan in Asia.
Slum Dwellers International (SDI)
SDI is a network of community-based organisations of the urban poor in 32 countries and hundreds of cities and towns across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities helps turn cities into resilient, inclusive, low-carbon places that are better for people and the planet.