World Cities Day: October 31
World Cities Day: October 31
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
- Dr. Seuss, author
Embedded Files
World Cities Day
World Cities Day
The United Nations recognizes that sustainable cities and communities are essential to sustain global development and thus listed it as one of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Their main target, making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
Through the UN's 2030 Agenda of Transforming our World, they strive to achieve the following:
11.1 By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
11.2 By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.
11.3 By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries.
11.4 Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
11.5 By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
11.6 By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
11.a Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning.
11.b By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels.
11.c Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials.
Orlando
Orlando
Toronto
Toronto
Washington DC
Washington DC
UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDG)
UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDG)
No Poverty
Zero Hunger
Good Health and Well-Being
Quality Education
Gender Equality
Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life Below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Industries
17. Partnerships for Future Goals
“Sustainable development requires human ingenuity. People are the most important resource” - Dan Shechtman, professor in material science, and Nobel prize winner in chemistry
“Sustainable development requires human ingenuity. People are the most important resource” - Dan Shechtman, professor in material science, and Nobel prize winner in chemistry
Sustainabile Cities
Sustainabile Cities
There are various organizations that measure a green or sustainable cities. These include: Biophilic Cities, LEED Cities, and the Nature Conservancy. These organizations have devoted their time and resources to creating prosperous sustainable cities. Around the world a global effort has been made to bring sustainable aspects to urban sprawl.
Biophilic Cities
Biophilic Cities
An international network whose mission is to improve connections between a city’s citizens and urban nature.
The Biophilic Cities Network partners with cities around the world to make calculated modifications in municipal and urban planning. They affect changes to design policies and practices in order to produce a deeper more holistic connection between the urban environment and nature.
This organization recognizes:
• Unique and diverse environments and cultures.
• Acknowledging the importance of daily contact with nature.
• Conserving the urban biodiversity in natural urban spaces.
• Acknowledging the importance of ethical responsibility – to conserve global nature as a shared habitat for non-human life and people.
• Implementing goals and targeted strategies to create a biophilic city that commits to the environmental future of the city in its words and in its actions helping to preserve urban biodiversity.
LEED for Cities & Communities
LEED for Cities & Communities
Developed by the USGBC, a national organization which recognizes citywide sustainability and resiliency efforts.
The LEED framework encompasses social, economic and environmental performance indicators and strategies with a clear, data-driven means of benchmarking and communicating progress.
LEED for Cities evaluates cities based on 14 key metrics that include:
Energy
Water
Waste
Transportation
Land use
Ecology
Emissions
Materials
Resources
Education
Health
Safety
Prosperity
Equitability
Nature Conservancy
Nature Conservancy
International mission is to create a world where people and nature can thrive together by focusing on conserving land and water in which all life diversity can thrive. It was founded in 1951 in the United States.
To date it has become a global environmental organization that impacts conservation in 79 countries and territories - Of these, 37 are directly impacted by conservation efforts and 42 are affected through partners.
Their vision is to:
1. Reduce or store 3 gigatons of CO2 emissions annually.
2. Benefit 100 million people.
3. Conserve nearly 10 billion acres of ocean.
4. Conserve 1.6 billion acres of land.
5. Conserve more than 620,000 miles of rivers.
6. Support 45 million local stewards.
Orlando: The City Sustainable
Orlando: The City Sustainable
LEED for Cities Gold Certification
LEED for Cities Gold Certification
Over the last decade, the City of Orlando has worked hard to become the most sustainable city in the southeast. In January 2020, the City of Orlando was recognized for achieving the LEED for Cities Gold certification for its citywide sustainability and resiliency efforts. The city has implemented practical and measurable strategies aimed at improving the quality of life for its residents by achieving high performance in areas that impact environmental and human health, through sustainable design strategies at the building level to the urban fabric and community level.
This accolade, LEED Gold for Cities, was made possible by the city’s sustainability efforts, which have resulted in the implementation of dozens of policies and programs to enhance environmental stewardship. Notable sustainability initiatives for Orlando include significant efforts to decrease carbon emissions by expanding renewable energy and electric vehicles, implementing green building policies, championing infrastructure projects that prioritize bicyclists and pedestrians, distributing free trees to residents, and increasing opportunities for urban farming.
The City of Orlando is committed to being a modern city that can protect the environment and natural resources, while still having a robust economy. The city’s goal is to lead by example and to continue to strive for excellence in sustainability.
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