The IUC Webinar series has now concluded. The series allowed participants to delve into ten different topics relevant to cities across the globe who are working to foster sustainable urban development; this included a three-part series on financing sustainable urban development.
The series featured expert speakers from 26 cities spanning 18 countries and all IUC regions, as well as from global organisations such as UN-Habitat, the UNFCCC, the Directorate-General for Urban & Regional Policy, the EIB, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Bank of Japan, the OECD, the World Resources Institute, and more.
Browse past webinars below.
For more information, contact: support@iuc-europe.eu.
Worldwide exposure to outdoor air pollution causes 4.2 million deaths every year. Urban populations are particularly exposed to poor air quality due to high concentrations of air pollutants in cities from different sectors and geographical origins. To successfully address air pollution in cities, there is a need to shift towards more sustainable transport, energy supplies, and public space design and management.
Cities are innovation hubs. They thus have a key role to play in improving air quality through the design, monitoring and implementation of air quality plans at local level. However, of course, national and international collaboration is also essential.
This webinar opened with an overview of the most common sources of air pollution in cities. It then delved into examples from cities across global regions deploying solutions to guarantee safe air quality standards for their citizens.
| 9:30 – 9:35 | Welcome and introduction – Eugenia Mansutti, Covenant of Mayors |
| 9:35 – 9:40 | Presentation of the IUC programme – IUC Coordination Unit |
| 9:40 – 10:30 | Air quality in cities: sources and solutions – Fabio Monforti, Scientific Project Officer, Joint Research Centre, European Commission Traffic management solutions to improve air quality – Gabriel Voisin-Fradin, City of Métropole Grenoble-Alpes (France) The process of developing a "Clean Air Action Plan" in Surat (India) – Mr. Ajay Nagpure, Head, Air Quality, WRI, India Managing air quality – Seoul Metropolitan Government (South Korea) |
| 10:30 – 10:55 | Q&A session |
| 10:55 – 11:00 | Conclusions and wrap-up – Eugenia Mansutti, Covenant of Mayors |
Moderator: Eugenia Mansutti, Covenant of Mayors
For more information, contact: support@iuc-europe.eu.
Since the early 2000s, culture and cultural heritage have been increasingly recognised as a cross-cutting issue in local sustainable development. At the same time, heritage governance has moved from an expert-based, publicly sustained model, towards an understanding of cultural heritage as a common good, which implies the involvement of a wider array of stakeholders in decision-making processes.
This webinar gives participants insights into how city-led cultural and cultural heritage policies can promote sustainable urban regeneration, paying particular attention to collaborative approaches and innovative governance models.
| 15:00 – 15:10 | Welcome and introduction to the IUC programme – Silvia Assalini, IUC Coordination Unit |
| 15:10 – 15:15 | Setting the scene – Talía Rangil Escribano, IUC Expert |
| 15:15 – 16:00 | Experiences at the local level – Lesley Collins, City of Ottawa (Canada); Marianna Miranda, City of Miraflores (Perú); and Mindaugas Pakalnis, City of Vilnius (Lithuania) |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Q&A session |
Moderator: Talía Rangil Escribano, IUC Expert
For more information, contact: support@iuc-europe.eu.
This is the final edition of a series of three IUC webinars focusing on local financing.
While traditional forms of municipal finance retain their importance, the role of new financial instruments and the engagement of the private sector are becoming increasingly vital. Experience shows that even when creditworthiness is not an issue, most local and regional governments are either not aware of, or are afraid of using unconventional financing tools.
This third webinar of the IUC financial series aims to give an overview on innovative financing mechanisms. Participants will gain insights and exchange on the range of options accessible, and city speakers will inspire participants to explore innovative solutions.
9:30 – 9:35 9:35 – 9:45 | Welcome and setting the scene – Giorgia Rambelli, Head of IUC Coordination Unit Introduction to innovative financing tools – Eszter Mogyorósy, Finance Expert, IUC Coordination Unit |
9:45 – 10:00 10:00 – 10:15 10:15 – 10:30 | City examples – Claes Ramel, Head of Treasury, City of Malmö (Sweden) Haryadi Suyuti, Mayor of Jogja (Indonesia) Dr. Rajan Chedambath, Director, Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development, Kochi (India) |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Q&A session |
Moderator: Giorgia Rambelli, Head of IUC Coordination Unit
For more information, contact: support@iuc-europe.eu.
Building sustainable, just cities is one of the defining challenges of our times, one that we are still struggling to respond to. However, one thing is clear: we can’t afford to ignore the potential of half of the population in addressing this question. In this webinar you will find out what a gender-equal city looks like, how looking through a ‘gender lens’ benefits everyone, and what steps can be taken to initiate changes in your own city.
Drawing upon URBACT’s Gender Equal Cities initiative and practical experiences from cities in Sweden and Canada, we discuss examples of gender-sensitive urban planning, look at anti-discrimination campaigns and address some common myths around gender equality.
| 15:00 – 15:10 | Welcome and introduction to the IUC programme – Ania Rok, IUC Expert |
| 15:10 – 15:30 | Gender Equal Cities – Sally Kneeshaw, URBACT Programme Expert |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Stories from the ground – Umeå (Sweden) and Fredericton (Canada) |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Q&A session |
Moderator: Ania Rok, IUC Expert
For more information, contact: support@iuc-europe.eu
The second of three IUC webinars focusing on local financing, this webinar will provide an overview of financial sources at national level available for sustainable urban development.
Rapid urbanisation means that local and regional governments, which now serve 70 percent of the world's population, play a vital role in achieving global goals. The amount of funding available to local governments is an important determinant of the quantity and quality of services that they can provide. Resources transferred from the national government are a major source of revenue for local and regional governments, however to close the gap between the demand and the level of financing available, new financial instruments and the private sector also have a critical role.
Webinar participants will get an insight into the range of options accessible on the market, including an exploration of innovative solutions.
| 09:30 – 09:35 | Welcome and setting the scene - Giorgia Rambelli, IUC Coordination Unit |
| 09:35 – 09:45 | Introduction to national financial sources - Eszter Mogyorósy, Finance Expert, IUC Coordination Unit |
| 09:45 – 10:00 | The role of public banks in sustainable urban development: the Japanese model - Mr. Koki Fukui, Deputy Director, Real Estate Finance Department, Development Bank of Japan |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Urban development grants in Germany - Ms. Margarete Meyer, Head of Division for Urban Renewal, Urban Development and District Development, City of Essen, Germany |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Municipal funds to scale up local finance: the “Less Carbon Climate Fund” - Almada, Portugal |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Q&A session |
Moderator: Giorgia Rambelli, IUC Coordination Unit
For more information, contact: support@iuc-europe.eu
Globally, cities produce 75 percent of green-house gas emissions and 50 percent of waste, while consuming 60–80 percent of our natural resources. Cities, due to the high concentration of resources over a small geographic territory, are uniquely positioned to play a crucial role in influencing the reuse, recycling, recovery and upgrade of traditional waste streams. While embarking on a journey from a linear economy model of 'taking-making-disposing', many cities focus on improving their waste management, valorising certain waste streams and preventing resources from becoming waste in the first place.
Identifying challenges and recommendations, the webinar provided inspiration on how to make cities more circular. The benefits of such transitions were explored in the context of resource efficiency as a key element in achieving the Paris climate agreement.
| 09:30 – 09:35 | Welcome and introduction |
| 09:35 - 09:40 | Presentation of the IUC programme: Giorgia Rambelli, IUC Coordination Unit |
| 09:40 – 10:45 |
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| 10:45 – 11:00 | Q&A session |
Moderator: Joana Cruz, IUC Coordination Unit
For more information, contact: support@iuc-europe.eu
Managing wastewater is becoming increasingly challenging with urban populations growing at an unprecedented rate and infrastructure development often not keeping up. This requires government authorities and public utilities to become more creative and innovative in their approach to wastewater management and in developing solutions that are locally fit for purpose, ecologically sound and that meet the needs of the residents as well as those of the relevant technical and political stakeholders.
Innovation in this sector requires a mind shift away from viewing wastewater as ‘waste’ and rather seeing and treating it as a valuable resource. To demonstrate this, the webinar presents two municipal examples from Aarhus (Denmark) and Nagpur (India): In Aarhus high-tech solutions are being implemented to build a facility that treats the city’s wastewater while recovering valuable resources, whereas in Nagpur natural treatment processes are being employed and the reclaimed water is utilized for irrigating urban green.
A wide-spread awareness of wastewater issues among citizens and their participation in decision-making and implementation form a great asset to making water management more effective. It is here that an inspiring example from Japan will be presented showing how the country has rallied public support to sustain its wastewater infrastructure via developing an interactive ‘manhole-card’ game for their citizens.
The webinar will focus on how these solutions can be embedded into local urban planning, factors that contribute to the success (or failure) of such innovative measures, and the replication potential of the good practices presented in other cities.
| 10:00 – 10:05 | Welcome – Barbara Anton & Sean Carroll, IUC Coordination Unit |
10:05 – 10:15 | Introduction – Dr.–Ing. Claudia Wendland, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist, Hamburg Water (Germany) |
| 10:15 – 11:00 | Creating value from wastewater in the urban context |
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| 11:00 – 11:25 | Discussion, questions and answers |
| 11:25 – 11:30 | Wrap-Up |
Moderator: Barbara Anton, IUC Coordination Unit
For more information, contact: support@iuc-europe.eu
Water is and has been crucial in designing urban spaces and informing urban planning. Approaches towards flood management have changed over time, with the previous focus being on keeping water out of the city, and the more recent approach turning towards natural water management and integrated strategies for dealing with flood risks and promoting urban resilience.
Crucial to this process of adapting to floods is the knowledge transfer and cross-cultural exchange of best practices in integrated water management amongst cities. It is with this purpose of encouraging inter-city learning that the IUC programme presents the practical experience of three cities in dealing with different kinds of flood risk through nature-based solutions and other innovative measures.
| 16:00 – 16:05 | Welcome – George Stiff & Barbara Anton, IUC Coordination Unit |
16:05 – 16:15 | Introduction – Dr. Chris Zevenbergen, Professor for Urban Flood Risk Management, IHE Delft (the Netherlands) |
| 16:15 – 16:45 | Combating floods – embracing floods: managing excess water in the city |
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| 16:45 – 16:50 | Discussion, questions and answers |
| 16:50 – 17:20 | Combating floods – embracing floods: managing excess water in the city Focus point: Rivers |
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| 17:20 – 17:25 | Discussion, questions and answers |
| 17:25 – 17:30 | Wrap-Up |
Moderator: Barbara Anton, IUC Coordination Unit
For more information, contact: support@iuc-europe.eu
The scale of the action necessary to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to tackle climate change requires local action. Adequate financing is vital to ensure the feasibility of local sustainability projects, yet at present there is a significant gap between the level of funds available for sustainable urban development and the level of funds deployed.
This webinar, the first of three on the topic of financing, shared an overview of the information needed to successfully access financing for sustainable urban development activities. Through presentations by experts, the webinar helped to cut through the complexity of international finance to provide participants with practical information on the requirements to access funding, as well as the best financing schemes available.
| 15:00 – 15:05 | Welcome and setting the scene – Giorgia Rambelli, IUC Coordination Unit |
15:05 – 16:05 |
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| 16:05 – 16:30 | Q&A session |
Moderator: Eszter Mogyorósy, Finance Expert, IUC Coordination Unit
One of the greatest challenges we face today lies in mobility. Sustainable urban mobility requires a mind shift: where transport in private cars and trucking give way to different modes of public transport, like bicycle lanes and pedestrianised areas, electric vehicles, car sharing and rail freight.
More and more cities around the world are rising to the challenge. Creating solutions that ensure the vital flow of people, goods and services, while mitigating climate change and creating healthier cities with better air quality and more inclusive development.
| 16:00 – 16:15 | Welcome and introduction: IUC in a nutshell – George Stiff, IUC Coordination Unit |
16:15 – 17:10 |
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| 17:10 – 17:30 | Q&A session |
Moderator: Holger Robrecht, IUC Coordination Unit