Resilient and sustainable food systems are an important part of achieving climate-neutral and climate-adapted cities and communities. How can we move from research to transition? How do we collaborate to build knowledge and understanding of the system together, and create a common vision? And how can cities contribute to food production?
The issue of public procurement is a key part of the transition to climate neutrality. Procurement can be a powerful tool to drive a faster transition to climate-neutral and sustainable cities, but how? How can local authorities take a leading role? What are the key areas? What examples of new ways of working on this exist today?
In Sweden, several researchers have worked closely together with cities and national innovation actors to support them in steering sustainability transitions by contributing to learning from practice, increased reflexivity and helping to identify evidence about system change. This role got the name of 'följeforskare' (literal translation from Swedish is 'following' or 'companion' researcher). Together we will explore what makes "följeforskning" special in terms of benefits and challenges, why it is especially relevant in accelerating the transition to climate neutral cities, and what role it can play for both cities and national support platforms.
Climate transition investments can create both business opportunities and a more sustainable city. Research shows that climate investments can generate significant benefits, both direct economic gains and added value such as jobs, cleaner air and better health. During this Climate Breakfast, we dive into what it means to make climate investments and how climate investment plans take shape.
On March 6, 2024, we opened a call that gives several Swedish cities the opportunity to increase the pace of transition and show the way for others in Climate Neutral Cities 2030 3.0. During this Climate Breakfast, we talked about the international aspect of Climate Neutral Cities 2030 and what role internationalization plays in the local transition work.
During this breakfast, we will discuss just transition. How do we create an economy that is as fair and inclusive as possible, that creates decent job opportunities and leaves no one behind?
Around the world, many actors are mobilizing to create sustainable places, visits and events. Several of the cities in the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative explore how events can be engines for the transition to climate neutrality. Welcome to Climate Breakfast #34.
Almost every city in the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative has a higher education institution. How can they contribute to the climate transition, beyond research and education? During Climate Breakfast 33, we explore how higher education institutions can accelerate their contribution to the climate transition by collaborating in new ways.
Competitive companies in climate-neutral cities - how do we create good conditions for this? During this Climate Breakfast, we explore the collaboration between municipalities andbusiness and how synergies can be created.
What nature-based opportunities exist for increasing carbon storage in cities? And how can we simultaneously create pleasant, comfortable cities to live and work in? Participants include Tora Råberg, researcher at RISE, Linnea Skoog, Kristianstad, and Mattis Vindelman, expert in the rewetting of peat soils.
Much of the emissions in cities come from the transportation of people and goods, making mobility a key issue in the transition to climate-neutral cities.
How can future mobility be designed for the transition to climate neutrality, and what can it look like in practice? That's what we talk about in this climate breakfast.
How can innovation support contribute to sustainable urban development? In interviews and focus groups with municipalities, collaboration platforms and business actors, Sweco has taken a closer look at the actors' experiences of success factors and system challenges. Some of the results are presented here.
In Climate Breakfast 28, we explore with our guests the different ways in which companies can engage in climate transition of cities and what are the success factors behind it. For example, in many 2030 cities, the municipality and companies are part of local Climate City Contract.
How can students accelerate the transition to Climate Neutral Cities 2030? At Climate Breakfast 27, STUNS in Uppsala participates, which has long worked to develop the collaboration concept Stories, a concept where students within the framework of their studies solve sustainability challenges.
Successful sustainable solutions from pilot projects need to fly further - so that sustainability becomes the standard throughout cities and municipalities. The Sustainability Becomes Standard project has developed a tool to ensure this happens.
The transition to become climate neutral 2030 requires that cities work in new ways. In this climate breakfast we explore how the cities of Valencia and Stockholm have handled this challenge in terms of leadership, organization and capacity building.
A regional Climate City Contract - what is it? In 2022, Viable Cities explored this together with the county administrative boards and regions in Västerbotten and Norrbotten.
Gävle, Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Lund, Malmö, Stockholm and Umeå. These are the Swedish municipalities that are part of the EU's mission for climate-neutral cities by 2030. What does this mean for the cities that joined? And how can it contribute to the climate transition in all Swedish cities?
Events are a billion-dollar industry and a key component of the economy and profile of many cities. At the same time, they are an increasingly important tool for community development. How is the industry adapting? How can this transformation drive behavioral change and citizen engagement?
Nature is a good example of a circular system, nothing becomes trash that needs to be disposed of, everything is recreated into something new. To keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees, we need to find circular systems for the resources we use. During Climate Breakfast 21, we went from broad brushstrokes in the EU to local initiatives in Karlstad. How can the circular economy contribute more to the climate transition?
Many of the emissions we need to address come from construction, including the materials used, such as concrete. But it is possible to use other materials, the forest contributes a material that is both strong and sustainable. Sustainable construction in wood is the theme of Climate Breakfast 20, where we are hosted by Tomas Nord from RISE / Smart Housing Småland and Britt-Inger Brisádottir, development strategist, Gustaf Ulander, project manager, both from Skellefteå municipality.
This breakfast is hosted by our program manager Olga Kordas, who develops the thoughts about Climate City Contract 2030's innermost essence, and by Henrik Johansson from Växjö municipality and Charlotte Brynielsson from Kalmar municipality. Both municipalities are part of the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative and will talk about the value of Climate City Contract, the iterative process, what they have achieved and their plans for the future. Welcome to the Viable Cities Climate Breakfast 2022!
For two years, Viable Cities has, through the Nordic Transition Partnership project, supported Nordic collaboration between small and medium-sized cities to accelerate climate work with a special focus on the circular economy. In this Climate Breakfast, we were welcomed by Ulrika Holmgren from Smart Innovation Norway who leads the project, as well as Pelle Hallberg from Gästrike återvinnare in Gävle and Elisabet Farner from Kristianstad municipality with long experience of Nordic collaboration who share challenges and success factors.
To find solutions to the enormous societal challenges posed by global warming, we need to work in new ways, within municipal operations but also across private and public organisations. Climate Breakfast 17 was attended by Anna Fjällström from Accelera, Jenny Ångman, Järfälla Municipality, and Sophia Sundberg, Barkarby Science.
Climate transition investments can create both business opportunities and a more sustainable city. Research shows that climate investments can generate significant benefits, both direct economic gains and added value such as jobs, cleaner air and better health. During the fourth Climate Breakfast of the fall, we heard more about the Climate Investment Plans development project. Participants: Charlotta Möller from Viable Cities presented the essence of the work. Tommy Mikelsen from Svensk Exportkredit and Jonas Kamleh, environmental strategist Malmö city, reflected on this.
In the work with Climate City Contract 2030, Viable Cities has identified four areas as strategically important for the climate transition in cities. This spring, Ramboll was commissioned to work with us to develop a strategy for one of these areas. During Climate Breakfast #15, we will hear more about how digitization and digital tools can support the transition to climate-neutral and sustainable cities.
Last spring, Anthesis was commissioned by Viable Cities to develop a strategy for engaging citizens and civil society as co-creators of the city's future. Through workshops and interviews, Anthesis, together with its partners Actinate and Sustainable 3.0, has collected information that is analyzed and now results in recommendations on a possible way forward.
The first climate breakfast of the fall was about the climate transition with a focus on schools. Fossil museum as a school exercise and climate hack were discussed. We were hosted by Roger Hildingsson at Lund University, Sara Vikström Olsson from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and Jonas Franzén at the Gothenburg Region.
The last climate breakfast of the season was about the circular economy. We were hosted by Liv Öberg, project manager in Umeå municipality. Umeå was the only Swedish municipality included in the OECD circular economy program. She was joined by Stina Behrens, Barkarby Science, who runs innovation for sustainable urban development in Järfälla together with the municipality and other actors.
The last climate breakfast of the season was about the circular economy. We were hosted by Liv Öberg, project manager in Umeå municipality. Umeå was the only Swedish municipality included in the OECD circular economy program. She was joined by Stina Behrens, Barkarby Science, who runs innovation for sustainable urban development in Järfälla together with the municipality and other actors.
Allan Larsson has been Chairman on the board of Viable Cities since the program started, and has made invaluable contributions to our development. At the Annual General Meeting on April 15, he will hand over to a new Chairman. A lot has happened along the way and we now take the opportunity to let Allan Larsson develop his thoughts on the journey with Viable Cities and stops along the way. Per Grankvist, our chief storyteller, leads the conversation.
To speed up the climate transition, everyone in society needs to be involved. The Hammarby Sjöstad 2.0 project in Stockholm is a citizens' initiative to reduce the district's climate footprint. In the project, 55 housing associations with 12,500 residents, companies, researchers and the City of Stockholm are working together to become climate neutral by 2030. Viable Cities' Sharing Cities Sweden project is also working in the district by investigating how citizen engagement and an active sharing culture can contribute to the climate transition in Swedish cities.
Ecosystem services can be defined as the direct and indirect contribution of ecosystems to human well-being, and this is the theme of Climate Breakfast 8. The starting point for today's discussion is the project One roof, five opportunities - Market-driven development of ecosystem services, funded by Viable Cities. The project has analyzed how five different types of roofs - focusing on water, energy, cultivation, recreation and biodiversity - can affect a property's economy and what socio-economic benefits they can generate.
How do Swedish municipalities structure their climate work? On behalf of Viable Cities, our member Klimatkommunerna has done an overview of this. They see that in recent years more and more have adopted long-term goals for their climate work, and have also identified some key factors for successful climate transition in cities.
To transition to climate-neutral and sustainable cities, we need to communicate with citizens, business and many other stakeholders. Communicators are often located both centrally in the municipalities and out in administrations and municipal companies. To create more power in communication efforts, Lund Municipality has formulated a strategy to coordinate sustainability communication across all departments.
In 2019, Viable Cities and Vinnova made an inventory of 15 municipal projects regarding the need for support for innovation management, to work long-term and systematically with innovation. It showed that many are working actively on the issue but that more support is needed. In response to the need, a project is now starting to develop skills, methods, models and tools for innovation management so that cities can become climate neutral more quickly and efficiently.
Climate Breakfast 4 was arranged in collaboration with our sister program Drive Sweden and focused on different pieces of the puzzle that are necessary in the transition towards a transport system that is sustainable, safe and accessible to all. Inspirers are Peter Hafmar, Autonomous drive strategist, NEVS and Suzanne Andersson, development strategist Trafikkontoret Göteborgs stad.
Welcome to an inspiring, undemanding Climate Breakfast, always with themes that are important in the transition to climate-neutral cities. This time it is about the financial transition that we need for the climate transition. Participants include Fedra Vanhuyse, Stockholm Environmental Institute, and Björn Bergstrand, Kommuninvest, and Charlotta Möller, Viable Cities Finance and Procurement Strategist.
Several Swedish cities are working on the transition to climate-neutral cities in 2030 within the framework of Viable Cities. During Climate Breakfast 2, Umeå, Uppsala and Malmö will share their experiences from the work of visualizing the climate transition based on some development projects where different tools have been used.
Welcome to an inspiring, undemanding meeting with themes that are important in the transition to climate-neutral cities.
For the climate transition to work, citizens need to be involved, not just on an occasional basis and on a specific issue, but always and for everything. How can this be achieved? During our first climate breakfast, Edward Andersson from Democratic Society will share five ways to involve citizens - for real. Charlotte Gustafsson-Brynielsson, Växjö municipality, tells us how they work with citizen engagement.
