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Adaptation Implementation
Cape Town - Water Conservation and Demand Management (WCWDM) Programme
In 2007, the City of Cape Town committed itself to a comprehensive programme of water conservation and water demand management (WCWDM) aimed at minimising water waste and promoting efficient use of water. The WCWDM programme is an innovative multi-pronged initiative that focuses on both technical and behavioural aspects of saving water. The programme includes raising public awareness and the promotion of water use efficiency, the introduction of a ‘stepped’ water tariff designed to encourage water savings, free of charge plumbing repairs for low-income households, training of ‘community plumbers’, the promotion of alternative water sources such as borehole water and recycled water for irrigation, as well as a range of technical interventions to minimise water losses, such as improved asset management, pressure management schemes, pipe replacement programmes, leak detection and improved meter management.
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Adaptation Planning & Assessment
Rotterdam - Rotterdam Adaptation Strategy
In October 2013, the city formally approved the Rotterdam Adaptation Strategy (RAS) after extensive research and the launch of several no-regrets measures. The process included vulnerability assessments, a societal cost benefit analysis of 40 adaptation measures and intensive stakeholder participation.
The RAS aims to secure and maintain a robust city by incorporating adaptation measures in urban development, renewal and maintenance activities. The city is now carrying out the mainstreaming process; municipal plans and policies most suitable for incorporating adaptation were identified for their cost-effectiveness. Public-private and private projects were also identified. The overall goal is to have adaptation measures incorporated in all projects, when needed and feasible. In parallel, a monitor is developed that tracks progress made in becoming climate resilient.
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Building Energy Efficiency
New York - One City: Built to Last, and the Buildings Technical Working Group
One City: Built to Last (One City) is a 10-year plan to improve the energy efficiency of NYC’s one million buildings through a combination of public investments in City-owned buildings and new programs to spur private-sector action.
The plan includes eight initiatives for public buildings, backed by more than $1 billion in annual funding, which will improve City operations and maintenance and retrofit every City-owned building with any significant energy use by 2025. To spur private sector action, the plan includes sixteen initiatives aimed at creating a thriving market for energy efficiency and renewable energy, developing world class green building and energy codes, and supporting a global hub for clean energy technology and innovation.
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Carbon Measurement & Planning
Vancouver - Greenest City Action Plan (GCAP)
Vancouver's Greenest City Action Plan (GCAP) sets out a bold vision to become the greenest city in the world by 2020. GCAP comprises 10 goal areas covering jobs, carbon, the built environment, the natural environment and food, each with specific 2020 targets that address three overarching focus areas: zero carbon, zero waste and healthy ecosystems. The approximately 160 actions completed or underway ensure that the targets will be achieved and that the city is transparent and accountable on its progress.
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Finance & Economic Development
Johannesburg - Green Bond
In 2008, the City conducted a detailed climate change vulnerability assessment in order to assess the impacts of climate change, which was instrumental in helping the City understand its climate risk to ensure it responds accordingly. The Green Bond was a step in the right direction in creating funding opportunities to assist the City in preparing and implementing integrated inclusive and long-term adaptation strategies designed to reduce vulnerability, thus cementing its commitment. Green initiatives that will receive funding through the Green Bond include the Biogas to Energy project, the Solar Geyser Initiative and dual-fuel buses, as well as other projects that are critical to reducing the City’s GHG emissions.
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Green Energy
Washington DC - District of Columbia Government Wind Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
In 2015, the District of Columbia government entered into a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Iberdrola Renewables that will supply approximately 30% of the District government’s electricity from a 46 megawatt wind farm. This is the largest wind power purchasing agreement of its kind ever entered into by a U.S. city, and secures a favorable rate that is projected to save District taxpayers $45 million over the next 20 years through lower electricity rates.
The District’s groundbreaking PPA was developed and executed following a balanced risk management strategy and a highly structured energy procurement policy. This work is guided by the DC Department of Energy and Environment's Sustainable DC Plan, which establishes policy for the city to source 50% of its energy from renewable sources -- and cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in half -- by 2032. The DC Department of General Services (DGS) is advancing the District government’s operations toward these goals through the wind PPA, planned expansions of onsite solar electricity generation, including a 12.5 megawatt solar project, and leading edge energy efficiency programs.
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Smart Cities & Smart Community Engagement
Boston - Greenovate Boston
In 2010, in the process of updating its climate action plan, the City of Boston recognised that it had a proliferation of different programmes in energy, transportation, air pollution, food, and solid waste, each with its own brand and logo and all contributing to the City's overall climate and sustainability goals. The City worked to create an umbrella brand that would unify the others and establish a broad platform for communication, community engagement, and recognition of achievement, i.e. Greenovate Boston (GB).
GB links programs in different departments given their often inter-related nature. It simplifies community outreach, because departments can use a common platform for communicating with constituents. GB helps constituents see the relatedness of various programmes, so that residents who may be particularly interested in City Hall’s programmes may become aware of, and participate in, other programmes that are also part of GB.
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Solid Waste
Wuhan - Ecological Restoration Project of Jinkou Landfill
In January 2009, the city of Wuhan proposed plans of comprehensive control, ecological restoration and comprehensive utilisation for the closed landfill of Jinkou. In 2012, Wuhan decided to restore Jinkou landfill in an ecological way, and to redevelop the area as the main meeting place for the 10th session of China’s International Garden Expo in Wuhan in 2015.
At the beginning of 2014, the landfill was ecologically restored, by introducing different plant varieties, promoting the continuity of the fundamental ecological system, improving the foundation soil quality, purifying the remaining soil and restoring green land. Two sections were heavily polluted and another two sections were moderately polluted, which would have taken 30 years for natural degradation to occur.
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Sustainable Communities
Stockholm - Stockholm Royal Seaport
Stockholm has very high ambitions for sustainable development. Policies such as ‘The Walkable City’ and ‘Fossil fuel free 2040’, are world-leading. To further develop the city’s ambitions, the Stockholm Royal Seaport (SRS) has been pinpointed to test how to incorporate available best practices and become a model for sustainable urban development.
SRS is a major urban development project which, when finished in 2030, will have a total of 12,000 homes and 35,000 workspaces. It will feature the characteristics and density of an inner-city neighbourhood, with a broad mix of homes, amenities and businesses, as well as strategic infrastructure and international port traffic. The development builds upon a comprehensive community participation process and extensive cooperation between the city and industry.
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Transportation
Nanjing - Nanjing New Energy Vehicle Promotion
In January 2014, the central government launched a plan to have Nanjing, Changzhou, Suzhou and three other cities as a city agglomeration in the Jiangsu province for the second wave of New Energy Vehicle (NEV) promotion pilot cities.
The Nanjing Municipal government set up the structure to define detailed rules for subsidies and electricity prices for EV charging and to promote the installation of charging facilities.
As of now, 4,332 units of NEVs have been deployed in Nanjing, including 1,208 transit buses, 940 taxis, 1,311 inner-city commuting cars, 17 utility company cars, 647 private new energy cars, and 208 New Energy special cars. There are 3 battery-swapping stations and 14 battery-charging stations (equipped with 791 charging facilities): among the latter, there are 150 charging facilities in Shazhou, currently the largest separate charging station in the world.
The NEV promotion includes government-issued incentive policies for new energy cars in terms of electricity price subsidy, NEV purchase price subsidy and charging station construction incentive policy.
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