Empowering Park Cities--Harnessing NbS, Parks, & Urban Forestry for Climate Intelligence and Socio-Economic Growth

Reports widely acknowledge that human activities, particularly the destruction of natural habitats for agriculture, timber, urbanization and resource extraction, have overwhelmingly impacted nature. The 2024 WEF Global Risks Report confirms that environmental risks remain predominant, with extreme weather, critical changes to Earth systems, biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, natural resource scarcity and pollution among the top 10 most severe risks expected over the next decade.
In response, urban researchers have proposed various development models, such as the garden city, reflecting human ideals for harmonious urban living with nature. Over the past decades, more and more cities have recognized the resilience contribution made by urban parks, forests, and river basins. These explorations have gradually evolved into the Park City concept, with cities like London, Milan, Adelaide, São Paulo, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Shenzhen actively pursuing Park City initiatives.
Recognizing the urgent need to identify and mitigate climate resilience risks, particularly in global south cities, this event aims to bridge the gap in interdisciplinary programmatic solutions at the city level while emphasizing the importance of cross-disciplinary, multi-scale collaboration to address the most pressing issues.
Co-organized by the Research Center of Park City Index (RCPCI), FAO and the City of São Paulo, this event builds upon RCPCI's decade-long efforts to establish a systematic framework for urban development. The event seeks to refine this framework based on collective knowledge from multiple perspectives to facilitate the realization of SDG11, 13, and 15.
With a focus on the potential of cities and international/regional organizations in addressing climate change, the event will explore the interactions between cities and nature. We will exchange experiences in urban sustainable development with experts from local governments, academic institutions, corporate think tanks, and other sectors. Also, this event is an opportunity to build communication networks with agencies sharing similar aspirations. This network will facilitate future knowledge exchange and ongoing cooperation in tool development and case studies for global south cities to enable a holistic, balanced and sustainable approach to urban development.
Target Audience:
1.Local government officials and community leaders involved in local governance and economic advocacy.
2.Stakeholders working on climate resilience and greening of cities, including those engaged in public space planning, river and waterfront regeneration and urban forestry.
3.Academics and experts from corporate think tanks specializing in urban studies, sustainability and environmental sciences.
4.Delegates of donor organizations interested in investing in or sponsoring climate-resilient initiatives.
5.Professionals from the urban planning and building sectors interested in NbS and urban forestry interventions.