Our Activities
Cities are complex systems. The components of urban systems, from food distribution networks and energy grids to transport and greenways, are interconnected and dynamic. Intervening to create change in any one of these components may impact others, creating systemic change. Designing solutions that take these interconnections into account is critical to sustainable development.
The five ICLEI pathways towards low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development are designed to create systemic change. When these pathways guide local and regional development, urban systems becomes more sustainable. The pathways provide provide a framework for designing integrated solutions that balance the patterns of human life and the built and natural environments. They encourage holistic thinking. For instance, working together, the local and regional governments and global experts of ICLEI consider how nature-based development contributes to resilience, or how to bring equity into low emission development.
We design our work to integrate as many pathways as possible. Each individual pathway is multidimensional, incorporating numerous strategies for sustainable development. When more pathways are integrated into any given activity, such as a project, partnership or initiative, a greater degree of change can occur. Often, our activities are guided by a predominant pathway or set of pathways. In any given city or region, multiple activities may be implemented along each pathway.
This searchable digital collection of our activities worldwide includes technical resources, including digital platforms, methodologies and tools, as well as networks, projects, programs, partnerships, events and initiatives that guide action along the pathways, spark new partnerships and create city-to-city and city-to-region connections.
Each entry in this digital collection is marked with predominant pathways, keywords and related Sustainable Development Goals.
ICLEI is supporting the city of Turku in designing the Circular Turku roadmap with relevant stakeholders. ICLEI is advising on participation mechanisms and providing expert inputs across the priority sectors in the region. Learnings from local circular economy action in Turku are shared on the global stage for replication and knowledge sharing with other local […]
The project aims to support the integration of climate change and air pollution at the city level through capacity building. It contains four consequential activities: 1) Convene focus group discussions with city policymakers and experts (health, transport, infrastructure) for needs assessment regarding the knowledge and tools cities should obtain in integrating SLCP reductions into policies […]
Integrating SLCP Reductions into Policies and Practices in Cities in Asia
This “Leading City Network on Green Public Procurement” project aims to build a leading city network on Green Public Procurement(GPP) among participant’ cities—including Gyeonggi-do province, Goyang City, Bucheon City, Daejeon Metropolitan City and Busan Metropolitan City. Under this project, ICLEI Korea Office has provided several consultations to enhance the execution of GPP, offered expert lectures […]
Leading City Network on Green Public Procurement
ICLEI is working with Google in order to solicit nonprofit project proposals – exact allocation of funds provided by Google.org would likely range from $100K to $500K per organization; evaluate and select projects to fund with Google input and potential input from local governments; work with the EIE team understand the potential use cases for […]
Environmental Insights Explorer Action Fund
ICLEI Innovation will select teams, startups, products, services and innovative processes in the segment of afforestation or urban green areas, which strengthen the management and sustainability of cities, promote green spaces, adopt solutions based on nature and generate measurable management results municipal public health. Through a public announcement inviting organizations for proposal submissiton, ICLEI will […]
ICLEI is responsible for several activities: Disseminate, communicate and exploit project results; Standardisation activities; Establish and maintain a framework to enable co-creation between research partners and city partners; Develop ‘state-of-the-art’ report on mainstreaming gender in building cultural heritage resilience; Review, map and characterise good practices Europe-wide in regard to making historic areas more resilient. This […]
ICLEI was responsible on international policy processes. Through desk research, interviews and direct participation, ICLEI identified relevant political dynamics and processes regarding the rural-urban nexus in the context of HABITAT III (preparation and implementation) and the implementation of the SDGs. The aim is to identify ways through which the German federal government, and especially the […]
Rural Urban Nexus – Global Land Use and Urbanization
The Monitor Nachhaltige Kommune project aims to support the development of "effect-oriented" sustainability management in German communities. The project, lead by the Bertelsmann Foundation, is divided into several project modules. ICLEI´s part in this project builds the foundation of indicator based monitoring. It provides the knowledge and training for local governments to change their governance […]
Promoting the project and its results among multiple beneficiaries is an important goal of the project. ICLEI therefor develops, implements, and monitors a detailed strategy for communication, dissemination, and exploitation. ICLEI will thereby safeguard the implementation and replication of developed solutions beyond the project’s lifetime. ICLEI will further develop a typology of city types that […]
ICLEI is responsible for the sharing, dissemination and valorisation of knowledge and experiences produced within the project. By this ICLEI ensures that the knowledge, experiences and results produced are not only well documented and widely shared but also relevant for local communities and policy-makers in Europe. ICLEI synthesizes results and produces key project deliverables combining […]