In an event co-organised by ICLEI Europe and the Basque Country at the Sustainable Cities Campus of Habitat III, European and Latin American cities and regions showcased their transformative actions as inspired by the Basque Declaration. The recently launched Sustainable Cities Platform was also presented to the audience.

Ruud Schuthof, Deputy Regional Director of ICLEI Europe, introduced how the Basque Declaration helps cities to transform their areas into sustainable places to live. It also helps national governments to meet their global commitments, such as the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Izaskun Iriarte, Vice-Minister for Administration and Territorial Planning of the Basque Country, encouraged cities, organisations and citizens attending the event to endorse the Basque Declaration and praised the document for being a concrete roadmap for transformation. Pekka Sauri, Mayor of Helsinki (Finland), said that the move to sustainability has to take place at the local level, as cities and towns are the areas in which people live.

Damien Caràªme, Mayor of the City of Grande-Synthe (France) presented the city's efforts to integrate immigrants and to improve their daily lives. Werner Spec, Mayor of Ludwigsburg (Germany), remarked on the need to engage citizens to co-create and transform cities. Ton Salvado, Director of Urban Model at the City of Barcelona (Spain), shared the city's "superblocks" mobility plan and explained how it will reduce the number of cars, as well as help to pedestrianise streets. Eugenio Prieto, Director of the Metropolitan Area of Valle de Aburrà¡, Metro Area of Medellà­n (Colombia), focused on the challenges the Colombian city is facing and highlighted that the Basque Declaration is an inspirational document for cities that aim to develop a regional action plan.

For more information on the Basque Declaration, click here. more   19 October 2016 SOLUTIONS presents city-to-city cooperation for sustainable urban mobility at Habitat IIIThe EU-funded SOLUTIONS project, of which ICLEI Europe is a partner, presented the potential of city twinning for transferring and implementing sustainable urban mobility solutions at two events at the Habitat III Conference.

At the Transport and Mobility Special Session, organised by UN-HABITAT and attended by around 200 participants, Ruud Schuthof, Deputy Regional Director of ICLEI Europe, introduced the aim, the progress and the main outcomes of SOLUTIONS, as well as the pairs of cities that have been partnering in the project.

In a session at the German Pavilion in the Habitat III Exhibition Area, co-organised by the SOLUTIONS network and the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative, panelists discussed the opportunities and barriers of sustainable transport measures. Marcelo Cintra do Amaral, Co-ordinator of Sustainable Policies in Belo-Horizonte, Brazil, explained the work done with their twin city, Bremen, Germany. Ashish Rao-Ghorpade, ICLEI South Asia, shared the experience of the cities of Cochin, India, and Hangzhou, China, and how city twins can inspire cities to look beyond their own context. The panel applauded the references in the New Urban Agenda to sustainable urban mobility and the panellists shared their ideas on how they wish to support its implementation.

For further information on the project, visit SOLUTIONS website.Image copyright: Image (ICLEI Europe) more

» Publication Date: 20/10/2016

» Source: Iclei Europe

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