Resilience

The C40 Infrastructure Interdependencies + Climate Risks Report summarizes the efforts of a sample of city governments and other public agencies around the world to understand the cascading impacts of climate change on interconnected infrastructure systems at the urban scale. It highlights how the identification of infrastructure interdependencies and climate impacts can serve as a first step in reducing risks to systems.

This reports provides examples of many different and novel approaches that municipalities are beginning to take to move to a more circular economy.  In this publication, C40 Cities have mapped out areas under municipalities’ jurisdiction, where there is significant potential to embed circular economy principles into systems and value chains in the urban environment. The case studies are themed in the following categories: city-level strategies, urban refurbishment, public procurement, utilities and civic waste.

Dortmund has transformed from a major industrial city into the “green metropolis” of Germany’s Westphalia region. Following World War II and the closure of major coal mines and steel plants, the city undertook a major sustainable redevelopment project which led to marked improvements to municipal water management and sustainable design. The results of this case study show that cities caught in antiquated infrastructure or modes of living may find success in adopting more sustainable practices.

The aggregated data by and for cities provides a strong justification for diplomacy around adaptation at key events, such as the High-Level Political Forum. The report targets local and regional governments with the aim to enhance understanding of planning, implementing, measuring, and reporting on climate change adaptation. This document will help activate the necessary awareness, modalities for support, and resources for cities and regions around the world to further commit, plan, implement, monitor, evaluate, and report their climate actions, including adaptation efforts.

Resilient Cities is the global forum on urban resilience and adaptation convened in Bonn, Germany. The congress series provides an international platform to share the latest information, good practices, challenges, and innovations for creating more resilient cities. From 2016, the congress also provides an opportunity to track local progress on the resilience targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. The congress outcomes present an annual snapshot of the state of urban resilience, building on discussions and developments from previous years.