Viable Cities and Drive Sweden are now working together to accelerate the climate transition in cities, with a focus on climate-neutral mobility.
Sofie Vennersten, Program Manager Drive Sweden (left) and Olga Kordas, Program Manager Viable Cities.
Cities cover 3% of the Earth's land surface, but account for more than 70% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions in cities come largely from the transportation of people and goods.
Viable Cities' mission is climate neutral and sustainable cities by 2030. Drive Sweden's vision is to create sustainable and safe mobility systems for people and goods that are accessible to all.
- Now, together with our partners, we want to develop a process that accelerates the transition to climate-neutral and sustainable transport in cities," says Olga Kordas, Viable Cities Program Manager.
- Our ambition is that the collaboration will contribute to Sweden taking an internationally leading role in the transition of cities through new mobility, says Sofie Vennersten, Program Manager Drive Sweden.
Sweden has 17 strategic innovation programs that are jointly financed by Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency and Formas. The purpose of the programs is to create conditions for sustainable solutions to global societal challenges and increased international competitiveness in areas that are strategically important for Sweden.
- "Since we both have tasks that touch each other, we started discussing possible forms of cooperation last year," says Sofie Vennersten, Drive Sweden.
- We saw more and more benefits of working together and have now signed a cooperation agreement," says Olga Kordas.
The two program managers agree that working together can provide more strength for the changes needed in our societies.
- As strategic innovation programs, we both have large networks with representatives from academia, business, the public sector and civil society, which partly overlap," says Olga Kordas.
- Together, Drive Sweden and Viable Cities can achieve a significant mobilization of actors, both within the country and internationally," says Sofie Vennersten.
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In a post on our blog the two program directors share their thoughts on the collaboration.
The first joint event will be held on June 4, 2021. registration.
