CITIES – CAN WE DELIVER A GREEN DEAL?

The EU has boldly set out its ambition to be the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 with 8 priority areas to achieve a European Green Deal. The sustainable green transition of our cities will deeply transform the living conditions of millions of citizens as well as future business models, supported by the European Commission’s Apollo-inspired mission to achieve 100 climate neutral cities by 2030.

Many cities have been successfully implementing plans integrating smart and innovative solutions, under the calls for Smart Cities Lighthouse projects in the H2020 Framework. Onwards, City, Regional and National governments, citizens, and companies will work together to mobilise multiple levers of change simultaneously and generate viable pathways to change involving citizens, companies, policymakers and investors. A sense of urgency and pragmatism is required to accelerate innovative solutions already in play and to take their deployment further & faster.

The question is… How do cities contribute to EU emissions reduction targets and what are the most effective initiatives getting us there?

A collective of 22 cities in 20 countries has collaborated to answer this question in this session with a close look at a system change approach to achieve climate neutrality. The session will provide participants with successful examples of solutions contributing to Green Deal objectives, with a strong focus on new efficient and clean cities on regard on the energy generation and consumption as well as sustainable urban mobility. Attendees will hear headline assessments of current trajectory, quick take-aways from a city perspective and a concrete case study from each city speaker.

This session is designed to give actionable insights to audiences from cities of all sizes, geographies and economic situations. Our goal is that every single person in the room leaves the session with a fresh idea to take home. This session is targeted to development agencies, EU and national policymakers, urban planners, energy companies and authorities and mobility management and delivery organisations in particular. Because citizens and businesses are also central to the solution, speakers will include success factors for industrial partnerships, creating investment opportunities with acceptable risks and activating local communities and businesses in meeting our sustainability challenges.