From São Paulo to Venice: 15 cities with ambitious zero-carbon projects

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.

Author: Victoria Masterson, Senior Writer, Forum Agenda

• Fifteen cities have outlined zero-carbon urban plans in the 2024 Reinventing Cities competition run by global city mayor network C40.
• Bilbao, New York, São Paulo and Venice are among the participating cities, and regeneration projects include a circular economy campus using rooftops to grow food and a 17th-century fortress run as a low-carbon community site.
• The Global Future Council on the Future of Cities, a World Economic Forum initiative, is dedicated to helping cities become greener, more climate resilient and more affordable.

Cities play a critical role in decarbonization efforts, which aim to reduce greenhouse gas and other emissions to net zero.

Reinventing Cities, a global competition run by C40, a network of 100 city mayors working to tackle the climate crisis, showcases some of these efforts.

Fifteen cities developing sustainable zero-carbon and resilient urban projects are featured this year – here’s an introduction to their wide-ranging green plans.

Have you read?

• Here’s why financial institutions must invest in green cities in emerging markets
• Why developing nations are defining the smart cities of the future
• Cities are at the heart of our journey to net zero. Here’s why

1. Almere

The city of Almere, to the east of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, is transforming an underused area of land into a zero-carbon urban renewal project providing houses and workspaces for the local community.

2. Bilbao

In Spain, the historic Venerable Priests Residence, Bilbao is to be revitalized as a pioneering centre of sustainability and inclusion, with a central focus on gastronomy.

3. Bologna

On the eastern outskirts of Bologna in Italy, part of a former military barracks area is being regenerated to include public spaces, new services and inclusive housing designed to support young people and students.

4. Brussels

Belgium’s capital city, Brussels, is developing a site that includes vulnerable communities into a mixed-use development with “exemplary” sustainability credentials. Mixed-use developments are plans for multiple uses, including homes, businesses, and cultural activities.

5. Glasgow

Glasgow in Scotland plans to regenerate two sites along its canal into new neighbourhoods, developed with nature conservation and environmental resilience in mind.

6. Milan

A primary school and gym in Milan, Italy, will be transformed into a new urban area that showcases innovative carbon reduction, circular economy and climate adaptation approaches.

7. New York

The US city of New York plans to transform unused rooftop spaces into places that generate green energy and “good, healthy food”.

8. Palermo

In Palermo, Italy, the site of a former chemical factory will become a new area with low environmental impact and a range of uses, such as tourist accommodation facilities and sports, leisure, cultural and craft activities.

Discover

How is the World Economic Forum supporting the development of cities and communities globally?

The Data for the City of Tomorrow report highlighted that in 2023, around 56% of the world is urbanized. Almost 65% of people use the internet. Soon, 75% of the world’s jobs will require digital skills.

The World Economic Forum’s Centre for Urban Transformation is at the forefront of advancing public-private collaboration in cities. It enables more resilient and future-ready communities and local economies through green initiatives and the ethical use of data.

Learn more about our impact:

• Net Zero Carbon Cities: Through this initiative, we are sharing more than 200 leading practices to promote sustainability and reducing emissions in urban settings and empower cities to take bold action towards achieving carbon neutrality.
• G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance: We are dedicated to establishing norms and policy standards for the safe and ethical use of data in smart cities, leading smart city governance initiatives in more than 36 cities around the world.
• Empowering Brazilian SMEs with IoT adoption: We are removing barriers to IoT adoption for small and medium-sized enterprises in Brazil – with participating companies seeing a 192% return on investment.
• IoT security: Our Council on the Connected World established IoT security requirements for consumer-facing devices. It engages over 100 organizations to safeguard consumers against cyber threats.
• Healthy Cities and Communities: Through partnerships in Jersey City and Austin, USA, as well as Mumbai, India, this initiative focuses on enhancing citizens’ lives by promoting better nutritional choices, physical activity, and sanitation practices.

Want to know more about our centre’s impact or get involved? Contact us.

9. Renca

Renca, a commune in the suburbs of Santiago in Chile, is developing an area of land to attract businesses with a focus on the circular economy, eco-design and environmental technologies and training.

10. Rome

Rome, Italy’s capital city, plans to regenerate a 1930s public building into an urban renewal hub focused on environmental sustainability, energy efficiency and sustainable construction.

11. San Antonio

San Antonio, in the US State of Texas, plans to reinvest in existing buildings to create a “first-of-its-kind” circular economy campus focused on cultivating a green workforce, improving public health and advancing affordable housing repair and production.

12. San Francisco

Several underused downtown buildings in the Californian city of San Francisco, US, are being transformed into “reimagined and sustainable spaces”, for both housing and commercial use.

13. São Paulo

São Paulo in Brazil plans to develop healthier and more welcoming public spaces that help the city tackle its environmental and social challenges.

14. Seattle

Seattle, in the US State of Washington, plans to redevelop a former shipping site into an area that supports the city’s downtown recovery. Green services and maritime training are among the facilities it plans to host.

15. Venice

A 17th-century fortress in Venice, Italy, has been selected for conversion into a new community site – to be developed in line with low-carbon principles and offering cultural, museum, sports and other activities.

Cities need zero-carbon plans for the future

Sustainable and inclusive urban development is the core focus of the Global Future Council on the Future of Cities – a World Economic Forum initiative dedicated to helping cities become greener, more climate resilient and also more affordable.

Cities are responsible for more than 70% of global carbon dioxide emissions, the Forum says. And by 2050, they will also be home to 70% of the world’s population – with much of this expansion taking place in the developing world.

These factors make cities extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and it’s therefore imperative that all urban areas drive climate innovation, adaptation, and resilience.