Planning climate-resilient cities through urban design

C40’s Land Use Planning Network provides a platform for cities to accelerate the development and the implementation of sustainable and inclusive land-use policies, such as comprehensive land use plans and zoning codes that promote a mixture of uses, liveable densities, and low carbon mobility; transit-oriented development (TOD) strategies; preservation of open space; and mainstreaming climate resilience into urban design guidelines and regulations. 

Cities participating in the network have prioritised five focus areas around which they are actively sharing policies, strategies, ideas and challenges with one another.

Focus areas:
  • Comprehensive planning for denser, more liveable cities
    Sharing of strategies to create comprehensive  planning policies and zoning codes that reduce urban sprawl, preserve green and open space, and promote  mixed-use and well-connected cities, both for formal urban development and informal settlements. 
  • 15-minute city policies
    Transforming urban spaces into connected and self-sufficient “complete” neighbourhoods through planning regulations, local economic development programs and urban infrastructure improvements. 15-minute cities encourage neighbourhoods to feature a diversity of housing options that allow a mix of incomes, active street-front retail, and a flexible built environment that  can serve different uses at different times of the day and of their lifespan. 
  • Enabling transit-oriented development
    Designing and implementing equitable transit-oriented development policies and projects through planning, financing, and public engagement.
  • Integrating climate change and adaptation priorities into land use plans and policies
    Aligning climate action plan and adaptation priorities to enable the integration across land use policies and tools. 
  • Inter-departmental collaboration, community outreach strategies and quantification of the impact of sustainable urban planning policies
    Facilitating the development or adoption of the above policies.

Cities participating in the network:
Abidjan, Accra, Athens, Auckland, Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Chicago, Curitiba, Dakar, Dubai, Durban (eThekwini), Freetown, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Lagos, Lima, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Madrid, Medellín, Melbourne, Mexico City, Portland, Quezon City, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Salvador, São Paulo, Seattle, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, Tshwane, Vancouver, Washington DC