City-Led Research and Innovation for Action on Climate Change, a special issue
The latest issue of our peer-reviewed Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy is now available and open-access
I am pleased to share the Special Issue on City-Led Research and Innovation for Action on Climate Change, the latest issue of the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy and collaboration between C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy and the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM).
You can read the Foreword which I co-authored with Lead Guest Editors Cathy Oke Director of the Melbourne Centre for Cities, and Benjamin Jance IV, Head of Research and Innovation at GCoM, or you may prefer to dive into the articles directly. You can find them all summarised below.
The Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy is available to read without charge through a Subscribe to Open model which aims to achieve the goals of broad dissemination of content valued by scholars and researchers. The content of this issue is available to all without any cost to authors. Please consider subscribing, or where appropriate, recommending the Journal to your Institution’s Library to access future issues as soon as they’re published.
From the Special Issue on City-Led Research and Innovation for Action on Climate Change
Original Research
Strengthening Local Climate Governance: Insights From Nairobi’s Subnational Government Stocktake. By Juliet Oluoch, Emily Bolo, Tom Randa, Karishma Asarpota
Understanding the intricacies of individual cities is crucial for effective climate governance.
Local stocktakes contribute to global stocktake processes, shaping climate governance at both local and international levels.
Mayors and city policymakers should prioritise climate action, foster collaboration, and invest in sustainable development to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change effectively.
Navigating Green Public Policy From the Intersection of Urban Heat Islands and Climate Vulnerability in the City of Viña del Mar. By Ignacio Vásquez Torreblanca, Raúl Martínez Cofré, Fernando Díaz González, Daniel Tapia Olivares, Pablo Neupert Kaplan, Alejandro Aguilera Moya
Municipal policies should focus on reducing urban heat islands (UHI) by creating regulations that implement technical tools to measure the afforestation of vulnerable sectors.
Municipal authorities must recognise the correlation between UHI and vulnerable city sectors, adjusting their policies to both adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. It is essential to identify city sectors in which green infrastructure can be established. This proactive step involves planning for the creation of green spaces to counter the impact of UHI and protect the rights of the most vulnerable citizens.
Nature-based solutions emerge as the future for public policies in cities. Addressing the phenomenon of climate change requires a local climate governance approach. These solutions not only tackle UHI but also provide broader environmental and social benefits, such as improved air quality, urban biodiversity, and climate resilience.
Harnessing Community Engagement to Reduce River Pollution: A Case Study of Collaborative Initiatives Along the Cikapundung River in Bandung City, Indonesia. By Ratna Lindawati Lubis, Krinda Hamidipradja
This research explores the relationship between community engagement and river pollution reduction along the Cikapundung River in Bandung City, Indonesia.
Recommendations include strengthening partnerships, promoting community-based monitoring, enhancing public awareness, investing in infrastructure, and implementing supportive policies.
This research contributes to the international discourse on urban sustainability and community resilience, offering actionable recommendations for a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable urban future.
Commentary
Opportunities for Leveraging Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience in Guatemala City: A Policy Perspective. By Laura Herrera, Beatriz Ramírez, Emilio García-Piedrasanta, Raiza Barahona-Fong, Lili Ilieva
There is a need for coordinated efforts among all institutions involved in urban planning and development to analyse—and achieve strategic solutions to—climate risks.
Public institutions must review and improve data collection and analysis to guide policymaking to effectively implement sustainable climate actions.
Urban policymakers must tailor actions to local environmental conditions—including watersheds and neighbourhood scales—and develop more inclusive climate policies.
Seattle’s Climate Change Response Framework. By Ben Rosenblatt, Radcliffe Dacanay, Michelle Abunaja, Evan Costagliola, Alex Hanson
Not all climate solutions are created equal; technical tools like Seattle’s Climate Change Response Framework are critical in determining which solutions are most worthy of investment. They allow policymakers to centre conversations and ensure limited funds are invested in strategies that have an impact.
Communicating climate solutions requires political savvy and a healthy dose of optimism, showcasing co-benefits rather than focusing on what must be given up. Governments must learn how to talk about climate without talking about climate.
Seattle’s transportation model for climate action is replicable and scalable; it leans into an all-of-the-above approach across economic sectors to address the climate emergency.
City-University Partnerships (CUPs) for Climate Urban Transformation: The Case of Valencia, Spain. By Oksana Udovyk, Fermin Cerezo-Peco, Ana Escario-Chust, Jordi Peris-Blanes, Guillermo Palau-Salvador, Sergio Segura-Calero
In city-university partnerships (CUPs), such as Valencia-UPV CUP, universities support climate transformation in six key ways:
using the campus as a testbed for sustainable operations,
embedding sustainability in curricula,
providing knowledge and research,
engaging local communities,
enhancing the legitimacy of climate initiatives through neutral facilitation, and
connecting cities to broader innovation ecosystems.
Successful CUPs require key enabling factors:
building trust to foster collaboration,
aligning objectives with systemic challengers (e.g., EU missions),
investing in stakeholder relationships,
creating supportive norms and structures,
designing actions that engage stakeholders,
cultivating a culture of collaboration, and
sharing leadership
While CUPs are valuable, alone they cannot address climate challenges. A broader, multi-stakeholder approach—such as the quintuple helix model—is needed, with universities serving as facilitators to unite diverse actors and initiatives.
Energy Poverty Alleviation Priorities for Inclusive Urban Climate Action: Key Lessons From Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa. By Thandeka Tshabalala, Liezel Conradie, Megan Davies
Just energy transitions present opportunities for local governments to support inclusive climate action that prioritise the needs of vulnerable and marginalised communities. Tackling energy poverty serves to align decarbonisation and broader developmental objectives.
Local governments directly contribute to broader goals of climate action and advance just energy transitions through initiatives aimed at alleviating energy poverty. However, if policies, initiatives, and reporting on energy poverty alleviation are not tightly coupled with climate action strategies, they have the potential to reduce energy poverty to a matter of electrification only.
A politically backed strategy with a mandate to alleviate energy poverty for local governments is important to elevate priorities for vulnerable households and communities. Embedding energy poverty into strategy and policy frameworks is important for mainstreaming a systematic approach within local governments.
Cities Pioneering Climate Mitigation: A Report From Oslo’s Transition Away From Fossil Fuel. By Philip Mortensen
Cities have a key role in developing and scaling up climate mitigation solutions.
A wide range of tools and approaches are available for cities that want to take climate action. These include the following:
Green procurement can be remarkably effective in kick-starting transformation toward reducing climate emissions—for example, in the construction sector.
Innovative urban planning regulations can scale up low-emission transformation.
Dialogue with relevant businesses is key to facilitating market change.
A robust and flexible energy system is critical to facilitate transformation away from fossil fuel.
Oslo’s Climate Shift in Urban Planning: From Tradition to Innovation. By Hilde Solli
Land-use planning and regulations are powerful climate policy measures. They apply to all and ensure equal treatment of all entities building in the city.
Four climate considerations are at stake:
reducing transport and enhancing walking, biking, and public transport;
enhancing climate resilience;
conserving and strengthening carbon in soil and vegetation;
building the city in a climate- and nature-friendly way.
Oslo’s comprehensive approach using the Planning and Building Act in a new manner is an example of the innovation needed to govern the climate transition. A key takeaway is the need for purposeful governance and empowering city agencies with a clear climate mandate and agenda, which Oslo’s climate strategy from 2020 gives. The broad political mandate behind the Climate Strategy and ambitious city government make this possible.
Season 5 of the Cities 1.5 podcast is here!
In this season, our host David Miller explores how cities, mayors, experts, and civil society are forming a new axis of resistance to safeguard climate action and protect people and the planet.
Check out the first two episodes of the new season at the links below (or wherever you listen to podcasts):