The how of urban transformations - Unveiling successful models of inclusive climate action and a toolbox for replication

In this event, the United Nations University - Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and partners will unveil groundbreaking insights and tools for urban sustainability developed under the Transformative Urban Coalitions (TUC) project. We will showcase diverse transformation journeys of cities in the majority world through our new publications: TUC Urban Lab Profiles and Frontrunner Cities. Additionally, we will launch a toolbox designed to catalyze inclusive climate action, ready for adoption by cities worldwide.

TUC Profiles is a series of short reports highlighting key challenges and opportunities to foster sustainable urban development through inclusive climate action in Latin American cities, namely Buenos Aires (Argentina), Recife and Teresina (Brazil), and León and Naucalpan (Mexico). The first edition in 2022, TUC City Profiles, presented each city and the contextual factors that may enable or hinder urban transformations. The latest edition, TUC Urban Lab Profiles, launches in 2024 and delves into the progress, hurdles and achievements of the Urban Labs established in these cities in 2021. The Urban Labs in Buenos Aires and Teresina co-organize this event. Lab members will tell their story as a testament to the power of collective action and innovation, inspiring others to drive change.

Also launching in 2024, Frontrunner Cities entails case studies from practitioners in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras and Sierra Leone that explore how integrating climate action and social justice can trigger more sustainable urban development pathways.

The focus of the event will be on distilling and validating lessons learned from the ongoing transformation processes and introducing the underlying toolbox. This toolbox is a collaborative effort, involving stakeholders from government, academia, civil society and the private sector and contains proven strategies and instruments for catalyzing transformative change towards sustainability in different contexts. As an open access resource, our toolbox invites users to contribute to its expansion and improvement.

The session will commence by outlining the overarching framework in which these materials were created, including their participatory design and linkages. Subsequently, the materials will be briefly presented, followed by recommendations on how they can be effectively used by various stakeholders, from communities to urban policymakers.

Attendees will interact with urban transformation orchestrators and toolbox creators, comprising researchers, practitioners and marginalized community groups, gaining inspiration and knowledge to drive inclusive climate action within their own communities. They will not only become acquainted with our readily accessible publications and tools but also receive hands-on instruction on how to leverage them in their professional and personal endeavors.