World Urban Forum

The World Urban Forum (WUF) is a global conference established in 2001 by the United Nations. The purpose of the WUF is to address one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and politics. The Forum, convened by UN-Habitat, is an open and inclusive high-level platform to address the challenges of sustainable urbanization. Explore the full program of the WUF here.

Viable Cities will be there to participate in discussions and drive forward the development of sustainable and inclusive cities and communities. We are also hosting two sessions focusing on global system transition through system demonstrators and innovative design, strategy and financing for sustainable and affordable neighborhoods respectively.

Climate-neutral and smart cities - Sparking global system transformation locally

November 5 13:00 - 14:30

During this interactive networking event, we will focus on how system demonstrators can go beyond pilots to scale system transformations in cities and help achieve the mission of climate-neutral and smart cities globally. Experiences will be presented from urban system demonstration efforts, focusing on mobility, housing and energy, from Africa, Latin America, North America, Asia to Europe.

Moderator:

• Olle Dierks, Head of Large-Scale Investments, Viable Cities

Speakers and panelists:

• Björn Svensby Kurling, Program Manager, Sustainable Communities, Vinnova
• Namrata Mehta, Urban Innovation Specialist, UN-Habitat
• Annika Bergendahl, Innovation Strategist, City of Stockholm, Sweden
• Jez Sweetland, Founder Bristol Housing Festival
• Alex Kivumbi, Head of Innovation and Resource Mobilization, City of Makindye Ssabagabo
• Emily Wise, Senior Strategist and Affiliated Researcher, Lund University
• Steven Bland, Chief of Party, Clean Air Catalyst, World Resources Institute
• Olga Kordas, Program Director, Viable Cities
• Thomas Osdoba, Program Director, NetZeroCities
• Benjamin Jance IV, Head of research and innovation, Global Covenant of Mayors
• Priscilla Negreiros, Lead, Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance

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Sustainable and Affordable Housing and Neighborhoods

November 5 17:00 - 18:30

During this session, we will delve into the latest experiences and strategies aimed at promoting sustainable and affordable housing and neighborhoods in cities across the world. We will explore innovations in design, planning, financing, construction materials and methods, building technologies, digitalization and inclusive stakeholder engagement. Speakers will share insights from various initiatives, including Viable Cities and Vinnova's collaboration with 23 Swedish cities in the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative, the EU NetZeroCities initiative and the UN-Habitat Climate Smart Cities Challenge. In addition, Global Urban Development's work on Affordable Housing Technologies and Sustainable Innovation Communities will be discussed, as well as the US National Academy of Sciences report on Operationalizing Sustainable Development. Overall, the panel aims to provide comprehensive strategies to contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement and the New Urban Agenda to 2030.

Moderator:

Olle Dierks, Head of Large-Scale Investments, Viable Cities

Speakers and panelists:

• Jacqueline Loweree, Associate Director, Strategy and Impact, Habitat for Humanity
• Alex Kivumbi, Head of Innovation and Resource Mobilization, City of Makindye-Ssabagabo
• Barbara Swit-Jankowska, Senior Fellow, Global Urban Development
• Marc Weiss, Chairman and CEO, Global Urban Development
• Joshua Maviti, Project Manager, UN-Habitat Markus Paulsson, Lead for CoAction Lund, City of Lund
• Daniel Dersén, VP Growth & Sustainability, the Swedish Internet Foundation
• Agnieszka Rumiez, Senior Fellow, Global Urban Development
• Alastair Mayes, Program Associate, Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance
• Donna Rubinoff, Managing Director, Sustainability Advisors

Read more about this point here.