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In Barcelona, Bogota and elsewhere, the best climate activist is a good urban planner.

Three global organizations - UIA, C40 and ISOCARP - are coming to WUF 12 to make the case for the importance of urban planning for climate action and that call for a global mobilization of cities, urban planners and architects to advance this agenda.

Sarah El Battouty

Moderator

date November 7, 2024 | 13:00 - 14:30
place
SDGs in Action - room B
organization
UIA - International Union of Architects
country
France
language
English, English
Reference: 
SDG-B 14

Summary

The session will also showcase the experiences of two leading cities - Bogota and Barcelona - which are, in their own context and style, experimenting with new ways of planning and creating green and thriving neighbourhoods.
The latest IPCC report states that by adopting a better urban planning model cities could reduce GHG emissions by 25% by 2050. In some parts of the world land use reforms could even be the most impactful climate actions cities can take to tackle emissions.
Urban planning is not a separate emissions sector, but a cross-cutting enabler of emissions reductions and increased resilience. For instance:
- through approaches such as TOD and 15-minute city, urban planners can reduce emissions from transport by shortening distances and enabling mode shift.
- through a gentle densification urban planners promote smaller housing units and shared walls which in turn limit energy use in buildings
- urban planners are also key to preparing cities for extreme climate risks. For example, as cities are on average made up of only 40% of public spaces, deploying nature-based solutions at scale and reducing urban heat islands requires cities to regulate how private lands are developed so that they contribute to the overall adaptation efforts. Making data-informed land use planning decisions is also key to limiting flooding risk and landslides. This is especially critical in Global South cities, as 90% of the urban expansion happens near extreme hazard-prone areas such as wetlands and other flood-prone areas.
The session will provide many concrete examples of how city planners across the world have adopted climate-responsive land use policies and urban design approaches and are reversing the 20th-century model that are no longer fit for today. This prevailing ‘modernist’ urbanism approach promotes urban sprawl, car-oriented planning and over-specialisation of land use, and has massively contributed to climate change as well as other important challenges cities are facing today such as air pollution, long commutes, urban segregation and lack of amenities, services and job opportunities in many neighbourhoods.
Far from grand theories, Bogota and Barcelona counter this outdated model by changing their land use policies and adopting proximity planning approaches grounded in sustainability, social and gender equity and community engagement. Their groundbreaking initiatives are paving the way for a much-needed turning point in urban planning. One that will replace fragmented zoning with 'complete neighbourhoods', car-oriented streets with green and people-centred public spaces and long-term, top-down planning with flexible and participative approaches.

Objectives

Urban planning is essential for creating sustainable, resilient and inclusive cities that can cope with the challenges of climate change, population growth, social inequality and environmental degradation.
This session will:
- Make the case for the importance of urban planning for climate action.
- Showcase innovative and effective solutions to reduce transport and buildings emissions and to better adapt cities to the effects of climate change such as heat island effect, flash flood and droughts.
- Call for a new model of urban planning and specify the key principles of climate-responsive land use policies.
- Emphasize the importance of better housing solutions and efficient public services.
- Discuss how cities can overcome barriers and constraints and advance this agenda, such as intergovernmental coordination, enforcement of urban planning legislations, dichotomy of formal and informal urban planning, evaluation of social and economic impacts of land use policies, legal systems and stakeholder participation.
- Share perspectives and examples of public-private partnerships for sustainable urban regeneration.
It will also deep dive in the policies and approaches adopted by Bogota and Barcelona and demonstrate how comprehensive urban revitalization can also catalyze economic recovery, social inclusion, and health through access to housing, neighbourhood improvement, transport infrastructure, active mobility corridors, people-centred public spaces and nature-based solutions.

Session panelists

Panelist
Role
Organization
Country
Mr. Rui Leão
Secretary General
UIA - International Union of Architects
Ms. Maria Buhigas
Architect in Cap
Ajuntament de Barcelona
Ms. Hélène Chartier
Director of Urban Planning and Design, C40
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
Mr. Frank D’hondt
Secretary General
ISOCARP - International Society of City and Regional Planners
Ms. Vanessa Alexandra Velazco
District Secretary of Habitat
Alcaldia Mayor de Bogota
Mr. Salvatore Fundarò
Programme Manager, Planning Finance and Economy Section
UN Habitat