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 works with local governments in Chinese Taipei to raise the awareness of SDGs through particularly SDG 11 – sustainable cities and communities -, and provide capacity building on policies of sustainable and healthy cities.
Sustainable Development for Local Governments in Chinese Taipei
Innovative research has been undertaken by ICLEI in Blantyre, Gaborone and Harare to enhance understanding of the influence of people’s perceptions and values during their interpretation of climate risk narratives.
Cultural Heritage and Climate Risk Narratives
ICLEI works to make ICT Fair improving the lives of workers and those impacted along different stages of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) supply chain through research, campaigning, capacity building and advocacy.
ICT research, campaigning, capacity building and advocacy
Drawing on various research projects, ICLEI aims to make research work for local sustainability at the European level. ICLEI works to bridge the gap between research, policy-making and action in sustainable development, at and for the local level. ICLEI organizes knowledge brokerage between local governments and other stakeholder groups such as researchers, civil society initiatives, […]
ICLEI stimulates new mobility policies which put people rather than cars at the center, by organizing EcoMobility World Festivals that turn a single neighborhood into an ecomobile, car-free zone for one month, coinciding with a global congress that sparks debate on low emission, human centered and city friendly mobility.
EcoMobility World Festival
In a rapidly urbanizing world, cities need to become smarter to respond to citizen needs and to reduce their environmental footprint. ICLEI is shaping the Smart City debate in Europe through the Lighthouse demonstration projects (such as GrowSmarter and RUGGEDISED), lead replication and exploitation efforts in more than 50 cities and constructively reflect upon the […]
Promoting Smart Cities though Lighthouse Demonstration Projects
ICLEI aims to increase the capacity of change makers, civil society and organizations to contribute to more just, sustainable and resilient futures. ICLEI offer academic and professional education on the theory and practice of transformative societal change, by facilitating peer-to-peer learning processes between 15 frontrunner cities and twice as many other cities within Europe.
ICLEI created a mobile app to educate homeowners and residents about the impacts of natural hazards and extreme weather, and how people can prepare for these events in their home.
Get Ready: The Game of Home Hazard Preparedness
Temperate is the next-generation, cloud-based adaptation planning software tool for cities and regional organizations, designed to support leaders in local government sustainability planning. With Temperate, ICLEI aims to guide users through exploring potential future climate hazards, creating a vulnerability assessment, and designing adaptation strategies that will help communities along the path toward climate resilience.
Cities are growing and changing so fast that many authorities are struggling to cope. ICLEI’s aim is to boost sustainable urban development, through city-to-city International Urban Cooperation (IUC) on and foster sub-national actions under the Global Covenant of Mayors initiative. ICLEI supports regional innovation strategies and inter-regional cooperation for local and regional development.
International Urban Cooperation