- Cities to take part in innovative public-private-collaboration process to develop solutions for their complex climate related challenges.
- The City Solutions Platform will assist Melbourne in climate adaptation and water, Rio de Janeiro with waste management, Seattle with transportation and Sydney with renewable energy solutions.
(30 November 2016) The cities of Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Seattle and Sydney have been selected as the pilot cities for the new City Solutions Platform (CSP), a joint effort by C40, the Danish cleantech cluster CLEAN, and the International Cleantech Network (ICN) to support early engagement between cities and the private sector to accelerate the deployment of innovative climate solutions.
In this process the pilot cities will address a variety of climate-related challenges that will lead to innovative solutions that can inspire other cities in the future.
The City of Melbourne is using the CSP to help create innovative approaches to drainage and flood management in an urban renewal area adjacent to central Melbourne (Arden Macaulay precinct).
The CSP will help the City of Rio de Janeiro in implementing an innovative financial, social and environmental solution to treat the organic fraction of its waste, which represents over 50% in weight of total household waste stream in the city.
The City of Seattle is looking to the CSP to assist in creating an equity-driven framework which allows the city to partner with technology firms that have a vested interest in developing innovative, high-tech, and data-driven mobility solutions that are accessible to people from all walks of life.
Finally, the City of Sydney will look to the CSP for help in determining the most effective way in achieving 50% renewable electricity by 2030 and to incorporate solutions locally where possible.
The pilot cities will be part of a co-creation process that will help to define and scope the complex challenges cities face and will use public-private-collaboration as a tool to develop new and innovative solutions. The pilot cities will benefit from the CSP by:
- Process facilitation and resources provided by C40, CLEAN and ICN;
- Co-creation activities that lead to a more informed tender process;
- The development of tailored and innovative solutions to pressing city challenges;
- City-specific C40 activities with solution providers e.g., workshops, hackathons and pitch events;
- The formation of new partnerships with leading solution providers;
- Visibility as a frontrunner in innovative climate solutions across the global C40 network, communication channels and events.
The CSP focuses on innovative public demand as a tool to solve complex societal challenges, where solutions are developed through the public-private collaboration.
The initiative was first launched in December 2015 at the COP21 side event “Copenhagen and Vancouver – Collaboration with the private sector for urban climate actions”, where it was identified that there is a need for a space for new and innovative solutions and the freedom to approach complex challenges differently.
The CSP will create a global platform where C40 cities can seek solutions to their challenges in partnership with both local companies and companies from a global network of cleantech clusters. The CSP is made possible by the generous support of Realdania and industry partners Danfoss, Hitatchi Insight Group, RTI International and BMW Group.