Cover Image from Unsplash by James Thomas

Transitioning Cities
Towards a Nature-Based Future

A 2-day event to strengthen our collective knowledge and capacity to plan and design cities with nature

What is Transitioning Cities all about?

Around the world, cities are stepping up to the fight against climate change through ambitious commitments to decarbonize urban areas. However, action plans often rely heavily on carbon offsetting schemes and emerging technology to phase out fossil fuels, neglecting the innate capacities of nature and thriving ecosystems to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.  

Centering nature-based solutions and increasing blue and green spaces within urban landscapes not only boosts the ability of cities to act as powerful carbon sinks but offers a multitude of co-benefits for people, creating more resilient, healthy, and equitable places in the process. 

Transitioning Cities will bring together people from all levels of the urban ecosystem over 2-days of immersive workshops, transdisciplinary dialogues, and interactive consulting sessions to accelerate the implementation of nature-based solutions to meet global climate and biodiversity targets. 

What makes our event unique?

Over the last few years, the use of nature-based solutions to mitigate the climate crisis has rapidly gained support amongst the international community, with 50 countries explicitly mentioning the term in their climate adaptation and mitigation plans. Although many cities have been leading by example for years, the rise of nature-based solutions up the political agenda is an opportunity to restore our relationship with the environment and reimagine how we integrate nature into the planning and design of cities. 

Transitioning Cities will be the first of its kind to trace a concrete path between multilateral targets to protect nature and the practicalities of planning and designing nature-based cities on the ground. By using our ‘whole-city’ approach, we will bring together the insights of traditional knowledge holders and academics, the know-how of ecologists and planners, and the lived experience of community organizations and civil society.  

True to our role as conveners, the event aims to gather people from all levels of the urban ecosystem to strengthen our collective knowledge and capacity to plan and design cities with nature. 

What topics will we cover?

Against the backdrop of monumental international frameworks, including the SDGs, The Paris Agreement, and the forthcoming Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, scheduled for adoption this December in Montréal, Transitioning Cities seeks to bridge the gap between high-level commitments and action in cities.

The program is designed to address the « how » of designing, restoring, and conserving blue and green spaces in cities with a strong focus on spatial equity and inclusive governance.

Participants can expect to leave the 2-day event with a better working knowledge of what solutions are at their disposal, how to adapt policy and regulation, and the types of model partnerships that have accelerated the transition in other locations.

Planning for the inaugural edition in June 2023 is underway. Want to get involved?

Reach out to Partnerships Manager Omer Juma at omer.juma@newcities.org