Knowledge Hub Newsletter
New on the Hub: Private finance, business engagement, procurement, and more • September, 2024
It is no secret that action and investment from the private sector is critical to meeting cities’ climate goals. To help cities to navigate the latest on this issue, we’ve released three new Knowledge Hub articles — on ways to work with businesses, attract private finance, and leverage the power of municipal procurement — each with a host of city examples and links to more in-depth resources. We’re also excited to share insight from the Greater London Authority (GLA) Group’s Acting Chief Financial Officer, Enver Enver, about how climate budgeting is helping London to raise money for projects outside the GLA’s budget, among other things, and his advice for peers in other cities. As always, at the end of this newsletter you’ll find more guides and resources that we’ve recently added to the Knowledge Hub library to support cities’ climate action. Featured this month are guides for cities in the United States on accessing federal funding, for cities in Asia and Africa on managing water scarcity challenges and clean cooking, on effective strategies for retrofitting office buildings, and a CDP report on urban climate hazards using data reported through CDP-ICLEI Track, among others.New on the Hub: Integrated governance, air quality tools, podcasts, and more • July, 2024
As evidence of the impacts of clean air zone policies continues to mount, we’re pleased to share new resources from C40 and from the OPENAIR project to help cities deliver effective policies and measure their impact on air quality. From Bogotá’s Urban Clean Air Zone (ZUMA) to Berlin’s Environmental Zone, clean air zones are now in place in many cities worldwide and have emerged as a powerful tool for creating long-lasting, systemic change for the better. You can also find practical details and insights from cities that are trialling new, innovative approaches to meeting urban climate challenges. Find guides to São Paulo’s model for financing an e-bus transition, to ‘24/7 carbon-free energy’ pilots in Copenhagen, eThekwini, London and Paris, and to fostering the growth of good green jobs and establishing a youth climate council. Additionally, we have a new Knowledge Hub article on an issue that affects every city worldwide but lacks adequate guidance. As many urban climate measures require new powers at city level, collaboration with higher levels of government and/or action by other authorities, we look at ways for cities to drive the alignment and integration of climate action across levels of government and to raise ambition.New on the Hub: Public transport campaigns, insights on fossil gas, air quality data and much more • June, 2024
This month, we have a new article for you on how to use campaigns and marketing to shift transportation choices and behaviours, and a detailed report from the International Transport Forum on public transport funding models. Also find new resources from C40 on inclusive climate communications, the harms of fossil gas, a youth perspective on loss and damage and more. We’ve also been busy revisiting Knowledge Hub articles that you might have read already. Find our updated guides to setting standards and monitoring outdoor air quality, setting energy efficiency requirements in new buildings, why your city shouldn’t be incinerating solid waste, and the financial imperative for shifting municipal investments away from fossil fuels, as well as a case study on London’s road pricing measures (including ULEZ), their impact and recommendations for other cities.New on the Hub: Shifting city investments away from fossil fuels, exploring air quality, and more • April, 2024
Recent analysis by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) finds that fossil fuel investments are increasingly risky and stocks are harming index returns. In light of this, we bring you a new Knowledge Hub article offering advice on how to start shifting your city’s employee pension funds and other investments to sustainable, better performing activities. Also find advice from the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA) and partners on how to create the conditions to attract private sector climate investment, and a new C40 report with detailed case studies from cities already taking action with their investments. We also bring you a new toolkit on effectively communicating around air quality, an updated data explorer allowing you to compare your city’s air quality to the WHO’s Air Quality Guideline (AQG) and to that of other cities, as well as tips on designing public spaces, governing green shipping corridors, community retrofits, and much more.New on the Hub: Beyond GDP frameworks for progress, maximising the benefits of retrofits, and more • March, 2024
City governments are increasingly recognising that reliance on gross domestic product (GDP) as a primary marker of success holds back and obscures effective policymaking on most issues that shape our quality of life. This month, we’re pleased to bring you a package of new resources exploring various ‘Beyond GDP’ approaches. Find a new article on how to get started with integrating a broader range of social and environmental metrics into your city’s economic framework, and explore more in our new ‘Spotlight on: Beyond GDP’. Also find a bumper pack of retrofit resources, new guidance on how cities can better collaborate with hotels on net-zero, a freshly updated article on decarbonising urban freight in your city, and much more.New on the Hub: Workers and extreme heat, key events, collaborating with youth and more • February, 2024
In the aftermath of a deadly heatwave which swept Chile, Argentina and Colombia this month, we’re releasing a new article on how cities can protect outdoor workers in such periods of extreme heat. On top of that, as more cities start explore the possibility of adopting a climate budget, we share a step-by-step guide to the governance aspects of the process, and an accompanying technical guide on quantifying greenhouse gas emissions. Also find a new article on why youth are a key partner for cities on climate action, and a suite of fresh resources on inclusive climate action, from designing accessible mentorship programmes, to mainstreaming disability within mobility action. All of that, plus key diplomatic events for your city to attend this year, and much more.New on the Hub: The health inequities of air pollution, climate budgeting guidance and more • January, 2024
Following the momentum gathered around city-led climate action at the end of 2023, we kick-off this year by bringing you a diverse selection of new resources to help your city drive progress. Follow the links for fresh insights on the way to adopt climate budgeting, how to address the health inequities of air pollution, the pathway to electrifying two and three wheeler vehicles and more. At the top of 2023, we’d like to remind you that we regularly update our existing articles and library, as well as publishing new material. Please do re-revisit articles you’ve previously found useful.In case you missed it on the Hub: A round up of our best releases of 2023 • December, 2023
As 2023 draws to a close, we’ve taken a look at what most resonated with our readers this year. Find our article on why cities are critical in the climate fight, which was reinforced at COP28 this month by the record number of city mayors in attendance. You can also explore some of most the impactful climate actions already taking place in cities, and hear why fossil gas is not the clean, green ‘transition fuel’ that the COP28 Global Stocktake lays it out to be. At the end of this newsletter you’ll find a host of city-relevant resources launched at the COP, including the new Cities Climate Transition Framework, which updates C40’s original Climate Action Planning Framework in line with the UN Integrity Matters recommendations. Find all this below, alongside articles on climate budgeting, equitable transport, e-cargo bikes and more. We hope you find something useful for your work, and wish you a restorative break and a happy New Year!New on the Hub: Urban growth and revitalisation, inclusive climate action and more • November, 2023
Countless cities around the world are grappling with how best to accommodate growing populations, manage housing crises and revitalise struggling downtowns and high streets. Decisions about how to tackle these closely connected problems will have a huge impact on urban emissions, as well as cities’ vibrancy and sustainability. This month, we’re pleased to bring you a package of new resources to help cities address these challenges by focusing growth and investment in existing neighbourhoods citywide. Read three new articles covering city centre revitalisation, urban infill and temporary use, and explore more in our new Spotlight on: Urban growth and revitalisation. Also new this month, two free-to-access, self-paced courses on urban growth and integrated climate action planning, as well as guidance on disability and LGBTQIA+ inclusive climate action, urban nature-based solutions, flood resilience and more.New on the Hub: Transport equity, advice on US federal climate investments and more • September, 2023
Citywide public transport is essential to reaching net-zero targets, but commonly neglects the needs of marginalised groups and the potential of informal paratransit. This month, we’re pleased to publish new resources to support cities in making transport networks more equitable, accessible and widely-used. Our ‘how-to’ guide outlines steps cities can take, and a case study looks at Jakarta’s hugely successful integration of paratransit microbus services. Jakarta also features alongside 28 other cities in a new policy explorer that showcases some of the most effective and replicable climate actions by cities around the world. Additionally, as Climate Week NYC and the UN General Assembly coincide in New York City, a new report from Climate Mayors, C40 and USDN can help cities in the US to make the most of federal climate investments. You can also find guidance and tools on indicators for consumption-based emissions, climate change litigation trends, building retrofits, car share and e-scooter deployment, and more.New on the Hub: Dealing with extreme heat, urban biodiversity and why all cities must act on climate • August, 2023
Long-time followers of the Knowledge Hub will know that much of our content is aimed at those already working on or interested in climate action in cities. This month however, alongside our usual offering of articles on topics such as public transport, freight, biodiversity, we highlight why urgent measures in all cities are critical. If you are working with cities or other city stakeholders that are not yet supportive of climate action, our article on the role of cities in the fight against climate change might help. Also new this month, as parts of Europe, North America and Asia sweltered in record breaking July temperatures, we share two pieces of guidance for cities on planning for and coping with extreme heat, plus advice on local climate funds and more.New on the Hub: Climate budgeting, just transitions in the waste sector, cargo bikes, and more • July, 2023
E-cargo bikes offer huge potential as a sustainable urban freight solution. This month, we’re pleased to share two resources to support cities to expand their use, alongside advice on a wide variety of other issues. Find new content that defines and clarifies climate budgeting, that explains how to put Doughnut Economics into practice at a local scale, and that looks at embedding equity in projects across a range of sectors including informal and formal solid waste management, zero carbon buildings and mass transit. Further, find resources on e-bus debt financing, ways to shape urban food environments, using rainwater as a resource, and more.New on the Hub: A 15-minute cities platform, plus biodiversity, food procurement, and more • June, 2023
As interest in the 15-minute city continues to soar, we are excited to be part of a new consortium supporting its implementation in cities worldwide. The Global Observatory of Sustainable Proximities, hosted on the C40 Knowledge Hub, will serve as a go-to knowledge and capacity building platform capturing the best new research, implementation advice, city initiatives, tools and more. It will be updated regularly to help you keep track of the proliferation of ideas and practical applications of 15-minute city approaches. This month, we’re also releasing new Knowledge Hub articles on food procurement and biodiversity as emerging issues in urban climate action, as well as C40 and third-party resources on electric vehicles, high-carbon advertising, air quality impact assessment and more.New on the Hub: Climate budgeting, ports, school retrofits and more • April, 2023
This month, find fresh insights from two groups of pioneering cities: from cities that are piloting climate budgeting, which are finding ways to adapt and integrate the approach with their financial budgeting processes; and from cities that are working to deploy zero emission solutions in their ports. We’re also releasing two new resources that can support cities to maximise the benefits of municipal retrofit programmes, as well as a guide to air quality data management, a tool that Bogotá successfully adapted for a major street re-design consultation, and more.New on the Hub: Busting myths about 15-minute cities and fossil gas • March, 2023
By now, you will very likely have heard about the 15-minute city urban planning concept, which made headlines over the last few months. Today, we have released two new resources to support cities that are interested in adopting it. Debunking the myths looks at the main questions and concerns raised to date, while the initiatives explorer showcases the wide variety of policies and programmes supporting 15-minute city objectives that are being successfully implemented by cities today. Following the IPCC’s latest release, which re-confirms that any new fossil fuel investment is completely at odds with a climate-safe future, we have also released a new article about why fossil gas is not the bridging fuel it is often sold to be.New on the Hub: Food access, better diets, food waste and more • February, 2023
If you are concerned about access to healthy food and seeking ways to tackle food insecurity in your city, the new and updated articles we have released can help. They explore policies and programmes that leading cities are implementing to address food inequalities deepened, in many cases, by the rising cost of living. They look at ways to make healthy, sustainable food more affordable and accessible by improving the local ‘food environment’, through food assistance programmes, by supporting healthy food retail in underserved areas (‘food deserts’) and more. Also find new and updated articles on food waste reduction and segregated collection, as well as an interactive dashboard detailing waste policies being implemented by cities around the world.New on the Hub: Timber buildings, urban freight, key events and more • January, 2023
As the urgency and momentum of city-led climate action continues to build, we kick-off the year with a diverse selection of new resources to help your city drive progress. Follow the links for insights from leading cities on ways to grow cycling mode share and reduce the impact of urban freight, and to hear expert advice about the opportunity now offered by timber buildings. If your city is not yet promoting timber construction, it’s time for a re-think.Spotlight on: Green jobs and a just transition • November, 2022
If your city is seeking ways to maximise the job creation and employment benefits of climate actions, this Spotlight on green jobs and a just transition can help. Alongside third-party resources, we’re sharing new articles that capture what can be learnt from leading cities about three key issues: how to measure green jobs; how to improve equity in access to those jobs, including for workers in high-carbon industries and those historically excluded from quality employment opportunities; and how to include informal workers in planning and delivery.New on the Hub: Repair and reuse, climate budgeting and energy poverty • October, 2022
If your city is among those considering a ‘climate budget’ to translate climate plans into funded short-term actions, the report highlighted in this newsletter will be of interest. It provides examples from a diverse group of cities already piloting this approach, and recommendations for others. This month we’re also sharing a new Knowledge Hub article looking at ways to develop the repair and reuse sector to meet climate and waste goals, as well as C40 case studies on energy poverty, and resources on sustainable transport from NACTO and the City of Oslo.New on the Hub: Tree canopy, permeability & the Inflation Reduction Act • September, 2022
With flooding and extreme heat affecting countless cities in recent months, we have released two new articles that look at how to deliver cost-effective green-blue infrastructure that reduces local risks, building on our Spotlight on nature-based solutions. Find these, along with other recent additions. We’re also excited to share new Knowledge Hub search functionality! You can now search – as well as read articles – in any of our 15 available languages. You can also filter for material from the Knowledge Hub team or other sources, use common syntax rules, and find content specific to your region or which features your city. We hope this will help you find what you are looking for!Spotlight On: Climate and clean air • July, 2022
Is your city looking for ways to integrate clean air and climate strategies? This month, in Spotlight On: Climate and clean air, we share a framework and modelling tool to support integrated planning, and a series of resources that can inform the development of robust air quality monitoring in any context, taking advantage of opportunities offered by the emergence of affordable monitoring technologies. Find these, as well as other newly-published tools and resources.New on the Hub: Building energy efficiency, energy poverty, and more • June, 2022
If your city is working to improve building energy efficiency for all and address the related issues of energy security, affordability and displacement, this is for you. This month, we’re sharing advice on developing a net zero carbon buildings pathway, as well as resources by C40 and by IMT that can help to ensure that low-income households benefit. Accelerating plans to decarbonise buildings is also one of 10 actions identified by cities, shared in the article below, to improve urban energy security and to protect those most vulnerable to fuel-price volatility. Find these resources, along with other recent additions.Spotlight On: Urban climate finance • May, 2022
One of the biggest challenges facing every city working to reduce emissions and climate risk is, of course, how to pay for it. While many climate actions ultimately pay for themselves, directly or indirectly, securing upfront capital and developing the financial structures needed to deliver climate projects are hurdles in every context. In Spotlight on: Urban climate finance, we explore financing approaches and tools which are already finding success in cities around the world, and draw on the experience of cities and other experts to answer common questions.New on the Hub: Lessons from Lima and London, IPCC latest report, and more • April, 2022
Find a selection of the newest additions to the Knowledge Hub library, including the headlines for cities from the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on how to act on climate change, published on April 4th, and two unique city case studies – city officials involved in Lima’s Limeños al Bicentenario urban regeneration and London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone have shared details about how these programmes are being delivered and their advice for others. We have also released the final piece of our Climate Action Planning Guide, a how-to on setting up monitoring, evaluation and reporting.New on the Hub: Resilience, climate migration, adaptation finance, and more • March, 2022
This month, we’re sharing resources that can support cities to respond to key issues in the recent IPCC WGII report, which made clear the urgent need to adapt to climate change. We look at how cities can plan for the increasingly complex nature of climate risk and cascading impacts. We look at ways to finance adaptation, and to respond to growing rates of climate-related migration – as most people move to urban areas. And we look at how to ensure your city’s climate action is inclusive and equitable in light of structural inequities and unequal vulnerabilities.New on the Hub: Adapting to sea level rise, putting a price on carbon, and more • February, 2022
This month, you can hear from experts about why cities need to work closely with their surrounding regions to transition to renewables – at the moment, too many are not – and how cycling infrastructure is proving to be a vote winner for mayors around the world. We’re also sharing new guidance looking at the main options available to cities to put a price on carbon and prepare for rising seas, as well as a summary of this year’s main diplomatic events.Spotlight on: Sustainable consumption • January, 2022
Responding to the growing interest in consumption-based emissions – meaning those emissions caused by the food we eat, the materials we build with and the goods and services we buy. Spotlight on: Sustainable consumption covers articles explaining why and how your city can tackle consumption-based emissions, along with tools, resources and leading examples.In case you missed it: A round-up of our best releases in 2021 • December, 2021
As 2021 comes to an end, the Knowledge Hub team has taken a look at what most resonated with our readers this year. In case you missed them, in this newsletter you can find a mix of our most popular how-to guides, candid case studies from leading cities, and advice from experts. We hope you find something useful for your own work, and wish you a restorative break and a happy New Year!Cities Race to Zero: How to unlock a decade of climate action • December, 2021
To help your city get started on the Cities Race to Zero we have searched our Knowledge Hub library to identify the most relevant practical guidance and recommendations for all the suggested high-impact actions in the Cities Race to Zero catalogue.Spotlight On: Nature-based solutions • November, 2021
In Spotlight On: Nature-based solutions, we explain what these approaches offer and how your city can implement them to reduce climate risks. We’ve also written or updated articles that look at ways to manage different climate hazards through nature-based and other solutions. Find out more in the articles listed in this newsletter.Spotlight On: The Renewable Energy Transition • September, 2021
Coal-fired power plants, gas stoves and other forms of fossil-fuel-based energy are driving climate breakdown. They are exposing urban residents to dangerous levels of air pollution – often far above WHO air quality guidelines, which were updated this month to reflect the growing health issues now known to be caused by air pollution. As large energy consumers, cities must use their influence to transform energy systems and accelerate action. In Spotlight On: The Renewable Energy Transition, we explain how your city can create a plan to deliver a wholesale, rapid and equitable shift to renewables.New on the Hub: Wildfires, Just Transition, Large Scale Energy Procurement and more • September, 2021
This month we’ve published guidance on wildfires and wildfire smoke, drawing on insights from cities with experience of tackling wildfire risk. Many cities are increasingly grappling with this issue – if you have advice that might help other cities please get in touch. We’ve also published a range of other new tools and resources, which you can find a selection of in this newsletter.Spotlight On: Legal Action • August, 2021
Spotlight On: Legal Action brings together research, advice and opinion to help cities understand and use legal interventions to bring about transformational change. These tools offer a way for cities to overcome national barriers, seek damages for adaptation costs and more.New on the Hub: Climate Action Planning Guide • July, 2021
Our Climate Action Planning Guide captures learning from cities already developing or implementing a CAP as well as tried-and-tested planning tools and frameworks that can be used by cities everywhere. We cover how to establish structures for good climate governance and internal collaboration, stakeholder and community engagement, building the evidence base, and identifying effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.Spotlight On: 15-minute cities • May, 2021
In Spotlight On: 15-minute cities we unpack what the ‘15-minute city’ – an intuitive, adaptable approach for creating more livable cities which is gaining momentum in the wake of the pandemic – approach offers and dig into core principles that can guide the development and implementation of a 15-minute city vision. We draw on the good-practice ideas and experience of cities leading the charge, and highlight a host of resources that go deeper.What’s new on the Hub: data stories, embodied emissions and more • March, 2021
This month the Knowledge Hub team is excited to share two new interactive dashboards on building energy efficiency in cities, a critical sector for reducing emissions and achieving urban climate goals. You can use these dashboards to explore data from leading cities, to understand what other cities are doing and the energy efficiency improvements that could be achieved locally.Spotlight On: A crucial year for city diplomacy • February, 2021
With the pressure on to go faster, further and deliver fully on the goals of the Paris Agreement, this Spotlight looks at why and how cities can ramp up international cooperation, advocacy and consensus building on the road to COP26. We also highlight the opportunity to join Cities Race to Zero – the biggest global campaign rallying leadership and support for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon transition that your city can join today.New on the Hub: sustainable food, construction & more • January, 2021
We’re pleased to kick off 2021 by sharing new Knowledge Hub guides on what cities can do to promote healthy and sustainable food systems, and to stop wasting vast quantities of reusable materials when buildings are demolished. Both will be relatively new fields for most city governments, but already there are replicable ideas and approaches being successfully implemented. We’re also excited to share advice from Heidelberg, which has built one of the world’s largest carbon-neutral districts. Find all of these, and other new on the Hub resources, in this newsletter.Spotlight On: Financing the recovery • December, 2020
With finance among the biggest challenges for cities when it comes to the recovery, Spotlight On: Financing the recovery sets out approaches and advice to help cities navigate this issue, and features new research from C40 Cities and Climate Finance Advisors.Spotlight On: E-Bus Futures • November, 2020
Innovation and trial and error in cities at the head of the curve mean that those now shifting to zero emission bus fleets have a wealth of evidence and experience to draw on. We’ve brought this together in Spotlight On: E-Bus Futures. You can also hear from city government officials and public transit agencies about why the pandemic makes the transition more – not less – critical, their advice for other cities on this path, and options for financing zero emission bus projects.New on the Hub: Clean Construction, Energy, Air, and more • October, 2020
Next week, C40 Cities will be releasing new research about the benefits of a Green and Just Recovery for job creation, air quality, and more. In the run-up to this, the Knowledge Hub editorial team has curated some of this month’s most significant and insightful new releases, notably the World Energy Outlook and State of Global Air – which demonstrate the unprecedented opportunity now presented by solar energy and the critical need to maintain recently cleaner air beyond the COVID-19 crisis. This month, we’re pleased to share these reports with you, as well as new Knowledge Hub original content on clean construction, highlights from the recent TED Countdown event, and more.Spotlight On: Cities Work Together • September, 2020
Spotlight On: Cities Work Together draws on lessons learned from city staff that have been involved in these projects, and features best practice examples and advice for cities wanting to pursue climate action in collaboration with other cities. Whilst this series is relevant for municipalities of all sizes, we’ve prioritised content for smaller to medium-sized cities which typically have more limited access to finance, lower capacity and less political clout.C40 Knowledge Hub: A Green and Just Recovery • July, 2020
Together with the Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, we are pleased to announce the release of a new report, the C40 Mayors’ Agenda for a Green and Just Recovery. The agenda includes specific measures – including those already being delivered in many cities around the world – to ensure that the recovery from COVID-19 addresses both the climate crisis and global systemic injustices, all while creating thriving, prosperous and sustainable urban economies.C40 Knowledge Hub: COVID-19 • April, 2020
As the world responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, C40 is doing everything it can to support all cities during the immediate crisis and the recovery that follows. To help cities find the information they need, we’re centralising this support on the Knowledge Hub and regularly updating the site with useful insights from our members, tools for city decision makers, a curated index of relevant journalism, and much more, including the policy briefs, case studies, and opinion pieces you are used to seeing from C40.Spotlight On: Cities100 climate solutions • March, 2020
This month, the Knowledge Hub celebrates its partnership with Cities100 by focusing on climate actions taking place in cities around the world that are proving successful and creating transformational changes in urban centres. The Cities100 report offers a snapshot of the high ambition, breadth and impact of climate action already taking place in cities of all sizes. We hope cities will be inspired by these solutions and benefit from the experience of other cities already implementing them.Spotlight On: Buildings & Data • February, 2020
This month, the Knowledge Hub focuses on how cities can collect, manage and use data to better inform policies on building energy efficiency. Buildings are the largest sources of emissions in cities, but access to data on building energy use is especially lacking in most cities. This collection of resources helps cities fill the data gap, from centralised data management systems to policy and programme guidance from several market experts.
Source:
https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/c40-kh-newsletter?language=en_US
