New: Quick Tips guide on green cities

A new guidance note is now available to assist partner countries and EU staff at headquarters and in delegations with planning programmes that make the world's cities greener. Check out this fascicle.

Cities are drivers of economic prosperity and hubs for human development, innovation and creativity.  More than 80% of the global GDP is generated in cities[1]. If urban panning and development follow sustainability patterns, adverse risks and the impacts of dense urbanisation can be well managed and mitigated. For this, a broader urban vision with a comprehensive and integrated planning approach is required, including socio-economic and environmental aspects.

This new ‘Quick Tips for Green Cities: Integrating environment and climate ambitions in urban development’, prepared by the European Commission Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), provides practical tips for applying an environmental and climate lens to such integrated and risk-informed urban development which should guide the type of interventions the EU wants to support.

The aim of the guidance note is to support EU staff and partner countries in planning new programmes and in ensuring environmental and climate sustainability is adequately embedded in activities, thereby also supporting the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) on climate change and other relevant commitments such as the Sendai Framework and Biodiversity Convention.

Click on the link to access the Quick Tips guide on green cities, and learn more about how to maximise opportunities to develop environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly cities, moving towards  Sustainable Development Goal 11: Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

In addition, check the associated document for Activities that Qualify for Rio Markers in Green Urban Development.

For further guidance on environment and climate change mainstreaming, contact:

INTPA and NEAR Environment and Climate Change Mainstreaming Facility

E:  INTPA-GREENING-FACILITY@ec.europa.eu 

     NEAR-GREENING-FACILITY@ec.europa.eu

[1] World Bank. April 20, 2020. At: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/overview#:~:text=With%20more%20than%2080%25%20of,and%20new%20ideas%20to%20emerge.