Action of cities to mainstream energy efficient building and renewable energy systems across Europe. Act2 is part of the broader CONCERTO initiative with the aim of accelerating innovation in renewable energy (RE) solutions, advance energy efficiency (EE) and systems for poly-generation linked together with concepts for eco-buildings. The cities of Hannover (DE) and Nantes (FR), supported by local stakeholders, will demonstrate how a more sustainable local energy economy can be achieved through more...

Cities and Climate Change: Responding to an Urgent Agenda has been selected as the focal topic for the 5th Urban Research Symposium to be held in Marseille, France from June 28-30, 2009. The Symposium is being organized by the World Bank in conjunction with some key partners. The Symposium is looking for papers based on identified research clusters (illustrated below). The overall objectives of these papers are: (1) To examine the current applied urban research and practices on cities and climat more...

Over 100 representatives of Local Governments around the world gathered in Quito, Ecuador, on the 9th and 11th of July 2008, for the meeting of the Executive Bureau of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), at the invitation of Paco Moncayo, the Mayor of Quito, with the participation of Bertrand Delanoë, the Mayor of Paris. The Executive Bureau was welcomed for dinner by the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, at the Presidential Palace.

The mayors and presidents of the provinces, regi more...

Published by Asian Development Bank. The Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2008 is the flagship annual statistical data book of the Asian Development Bank. Key Indicators 2008 features statistical data for 48 regional members of the Asian Development Bank, including Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. Purchasing power parity data are included, as are social, financial, external trade, infrastructure, governance, and environment indicators. The book carries nontechnical commentaries on the M more...

On April 25- 27, 2007,the Department of Environmental Resources Law and Service Center, the Chinese Politics and Law University hosted the 'Chinese Civil Society and Environmental Protection Administration Forum on how NGOs can use laws to push forward Environmental Protection.' A group of GVB representatives participated in this meeting, along with representatives from the British Royal International Affairs Research Institute, the British International Development Department, the NGO Managemen more...

After years of isolation, Turkmenistan has been host to hundreds of official delegations from the world’s great powers, as Europe, Russia, China, and India pursue energy security with an eye toward the country's gas deposits. President Berdymukhamedov has forsaken at least some of his predecessor’s inward focus, in favor of a “multi-vector” natural resource strategy. The strategy relies on multiple hydrocarbon export routes, and the various gas importers each have a route in mind. Key pi more...

Local governments join the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) campaign by passing a resolution pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their local government operations and throughout their communities. To help cities achieve their goals, ICLEI then assists the cities undertake the CCP's five milestones. The five milestones of the CCP and the methodology behind provide a simple, standardized means of calculating greenhouse gas emissions, of establishing targets to lower emissions, of r more...

Africa enters the 21st century not only faced with the challenge of an unprecedented rapid rate of urbanisation, but also with an intensification of poverty among the urban population. Within the next two-and-a-half decades, Africa’s urban centres will become the dominant habitat of its population. While this unavoidable demographic shift has a historic potential of transforming cities into crucibles of development and engines of national growth, the prevalence of abject poverty impedes the ha more...

Year and Location: March - April 2007, Thailand.Client: Nuffic & Thai National Housing Authority. At the end of 2006, the National Housing Authority (NHA) was commissioned by the Thai government to take the initiative for the development of a National Housing Strategy. As part of this ‘National Housing Strategy’ programme, Urban Solutions was asked to develop and conduct a training programme with the objective to set out the framework for the first Thai national long-term and over-all housin more...

Year and Location: Aug-Oct 2004, Thailand. Client: Thai National Housing Authority. At the request of the Thai National Housing Authority, Urban Solutions provided a comparative study on instruments to speed up housing production and stimulate housing demand from selected Asian and European countries. The comparative study was accompanied by strategic advice document that was used in the design of the Authority’s Baan Eua Athorn Project. Urban Solutions was responsible for all aspects of this more...