Editor’s choice
In a series of projects, SEI studies funding needs for city sustainability transitions, exploring how to redirect resources towards these goals. This involves assessing associated risks, economic implications, necessary policies and the financial capacity of various stakeholders like municipal governments, citizens and industry, as well as the potential financial instruments these city actors can use.
Photo: Charley Litchfield / Unsplash.
“Cities are where the climate battle will largely be won or lost” said António Guterres, UN Secretary General, at the C40 World Mayors Summit in October 2019. Indeed, as the impacts of climate change continue to manifest globally, cities are at the forefront of the battle to mitigate and adapt to its effects. Recognizing the urgency and importance of acting, city governments are making political commitments, designing action plans, and embracing climate investment planning as a strategic approach to building sustainable, resilient, and low-carbon urban environments.
Climate investment planning involves the systematic identification, prioritization, and implementation of city-wide actions, aimed at reducing emissions and strengthening resilience within urban environments.
SEI has developed an approach for climate investment planning, showcasing how climate action, policy making and investment tie together (Figure 1). In a series of projects, the research team supports municipalities and other actors that work in cities, such as citizens, industry, financial institutions as well as superordinate government levels, to roll out this methodology. A dashboard was developed as well that showcases the link between climate action and investment planning, as well as the co-impacts of climate action. The team also carries out research to further the business case for climate investing.
Figure 1. Overview climate action and investment planning. Graphic: Vanhuyse, F. (2023).
Other publication / This chapter presents a framework for carbon-free European cities using natural solutions tailored to diverse climates.
Journal article / This paper investigates the cost-efficiency of the carbon reduction measures financed in Swedish municipalities through the scheme of municipal green bonds.
Other publication / This report is about the climate transition, the role of cities and a new emerging model to lead, manage and implement the transition faster than today.
Journal article / This paper presents a conceptual framework that allows evaluation of the cornerstones of climate neutrality for cities from a consumption-based perspective.
Other publication / How can cities measure their sustainability performance to provide actionable information to reach their goals?
Feature / The report provides insight into the technologies that can be deployed at city level to reach climate neutrality, namely to improve efficiency and store carbon.
Feature / The Viable Cities' Finance project talked to four experts about the challenges and opportunities of sustainable cities at the Smart City Expo World Congress.
Feature / This fact sheet examines how municipal governments can fund investments and the types of financial instruments they can use to do this.
Other publication / This report aims to provide a research-based understanding of the role of external financing in helping Swedish municipalities to reach the Agenda 2030 goals.
Feature / In this fact sheet, we provide an overview of public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Feature / This fact sheet provides insights into the importance of sustainable cities and gives some practical examples of what cities can do to become more sustainable.
Feature / This factsheet offers some introductory insights into how Swedish municipal governments are financed and what their budgets entail.
Feature / Citizen participation methods can foster a transparent democratic process, while at the same time benefitting municipalities by finding sustainable solutions.
Feature / There's no lack of sustainable solutions for climate neutral cities, but challenges remain in terms of implementation and upscaling in city structures.
Other publication / Read the results of a scoping study on sustainable city bonds.
Creating Green Cities, 14-15 June 2023, Malmö
On 14 and 15 June, the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure, Government Offices of Sweden, in collaboration with Boverket – National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, and SLU Movium Think Tank, and in alliance with governmental authorities in the Swedish Council of Sustainable Cities, is organizing the Creating Green Cities conference.
Fedra Vanhuyse will explain the approach to climate investment planning.
Tallinn European Green Capital 2023 Opening Conference, 20 January 2023
Fantastic creatures: Making European cities safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable
Fedra Vanhuyse presented during the session Thriving like an oak: building eco-systems for green and healthy cities.
Key questions in this session were: How to help European cities to create well-designed, managed and connected green areas for healthy living environments? How to create synergies between different needs and functions for sustainable urban development?
She spoke alongside Mr. Eric Piolle, Mayor of Grenoble, France and Mrs. Madle Lippus, Deputy-Mayor of Tallinn, Estonia.
Past event / At a pre-event for City Climate Impact Day on 15 June 2022, SEI's Fedra Vanhuyse will present a masterclass on making climate investment plans for smart cities.
Past event / SEI Head of Division - Societies, Climate and Policy Support Fedra Vanhuyse will moderate a fireside chat with the EU Mission Board for climate-neutral cities.
Past event / Join us at the upcoming session and dialogue on 31 May and 1 June 2022 on smart, sustainable, and inclusive cities.
Past event / Take part in the ENLIGHT European Dialogue 2022 from 11–12 May 2022 in Uppsala, Sweden, with SEI's Fedra Vanhuyse a keynote speaker on sustainable cities.
Past event / Misum, SEI och CTS lanserar en ny forskningsrapport som diskuterar det privata kapitalets roll för att finansiera hållbara städer med fokus på svenska kommuner.
Past event / This conference will bring cities, innovators, investors and other high-profile actors together to discuss specific strategies for reaching climate neutrality.
Past event / In this session at the Innovate4Cities conference, experts discuss benefits and challenges that cities face when joining research and innovation projects.
Past event / This webinar series explored what barriers and possibilities exist in amplifying city innovations and enabling cities to reach their sustainability goals.
Project / This project provides cities with an adjustable framework to assess their level and potential for circularity.
Project / Stockholm Sustainable Finance Centre (SSFC) aimed to have a transformative impact on sustainable finance in Sweden and beyond.
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