Cities Greener Places to Live, Work and Play
Here is a list of Organizations working to make Cities Greener Places to Live, Work and Play
US Civil Society organizations working with Cities
1. The American Planning Association
http://www.planning.org/
The American organization of professional planners, APA has several interesting programs:
· The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning
( http://www.acsp.org/)
ACSP promotes education, research, service, and outreach in the United States and throughout the world by seeking to: 1) recognize diverse needs and interests in planning; 2) strengthen the role of planning education in colleges and universities through publications, conferences, and community engagement; 3) improve and enhance the accreditation process, and; 4)extend planning beyond the classroom into the world of practice.
· Los Fundamentos de Planificación de Sitios
http://www.planning.org/planificacion/1/1.htm
Los Fundamentos de Planificación de Sitios is a Spanish-language training manual on proper site planning. It is focused on the nations of Central America and the Caribbean that were ravaged by Hurricanes Mitch and Georges in 1998. This manual, created by APA's Research Department between October 2000 and December 2001, is directed primarily at Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.
· Global Planners Network
http://www.globalplannersnetwork.org/
Global Planners Net (GPN) is a network of national planning associations, including APA, that came together to share planning ideas, approaches, and good practices and thereby build the capacities for planning across the globe. GPN was formed in 2005 in preparation for the World Planners Congress in Vancouver in 2006, where 13 national institutes became signatories to the Vancouver Declaration. The network is supported by other international organizations and networks such as the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP).
2. The International City/County Management Association (ICMA)
http://icma.org/inter/
ICMA has several international programs to be aware of:
- · The Resource Cities (RCP) Program was created in 1997 in collaboration with USAID to bring practical assistance to large and small urban areas worldwide. ICMA consultants have worked in Albania on management information systems and efficient use of landfill equipment, in Bulgaria on training and certification of economic development officials, in India on creating one stop permit systems and improvements in property tax and utility bill collections, in Jordan on educating citizens to recycle household waste, and on developing a tourism program in Vietnam.
- · The City Links Program provides peer-based technical expertise to help local government managers address urban management issues. It focuses on African countries.
- · Its partnership with the Urban Institute and the Research Triangle Institute provides operations management improvements in cities in the Western Hemisphere and Europe.
http://ipmcs.fiu.edu/mayors-introduction.htm
The Inter-American Conference of Mayors and Local Authorities is annually organized by the Miami-Dade County government and Florida International University. For more than a decade, the event has brought some 500 mayors and local officials from all over Latin America to discuss municipal level problems and solutions. The first event, co-sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and the Organization of American States, was held in Washington, D.C. in 1996 and approximately 100 people attended. The second conference was held in Miami and almost 200 individuals participated. Since that time, the event has grown and is considered one of the primer gatherings of local leaders throughout the hemisphere to occur each year.
4. National League Cities (NCL)
http://www.nlc.org/
The National League of Cities (NLC), a non-profit membership organization in Washington, D.C. that represents and serves municipal governments of all population sizes and their elected officials.
5. The Building Museum
http://www.nbm.org/
The Green Community, a ground-breaking new book, published by the National Building Museum and the American Planning Association is a practical, political, and theoretical essays written by experts from around the world.
6. The National Academies: Lighting the Way: Toward a Sustainable Energy Future
http://www.interacademycouncil.net/CMS/Reports/11840.aspx
Commissioned by the governments of Brazil and China, this report identifies a scientific consensus framework for directing global energy development. It lays out the science, technology and policy roadmap for developing energy resources to drive economic growth in both industrialized and developing countries while also securing climate protection and global development goals. The report was produced by a study panel of 15 world-renowned energy experts, co-chaired by Nobel Laureate Steven Chu, Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in the United States, and José Goldemberg, former Secretary of State for the Environment for the State of São Paulo, Brazil.
Other organizations/Initiatives working in the United States
· Features a best practices database from US cities, along with a ranking http://www.sustainlane.us/
· features 20 of the most sustainable cities in the world by 2020
http://ethisphere.com/2020-global-sustainability-centers/
· A statewide program for the larger cities to share best practices in sustainable development http://www.greencitiescalifornia.org/
· WRI’s Center for Sustainable Transport http://www.embarq.org/
· part of the Sustainable Cities initiative at USC http://college.usc.edu/geography/ESPE/index.html
· US project “Make It Right” (organized by Mr. Brad Pitt) in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/travel/29cultured.html?em
· Rockefeller Foundation with Urban Planning and Finance
http://www.rockfound.org/initiatives/urban_issues/urban_issues.shtml
· The Bellagio Declaration Transport and Climate Change
http://www.sutp.org/bellagio-declaration
· International Association of Public Transport (UITP)
http://www.uitp.org/
· Global Studio Program
http://theglobalstudio.com/GlobalStudio08/
Foreign Civil Society organizations working with Cities/Housing
1. International Center of Urban Management (CIGU)
http://www.cigu.org/cgi-bin/cigu
El Centro Internacional de Gestión Urbana, CIGU es una entidad de derecho privado sin fines de lucro, con domicilio institucional en Quito, Ecuador. Se encuentra registrada en el Ministerio de Educación y Cultura de ese país. El CIGU fue fundado en Julio del 2004, en una reunión efectuada en Quito a la que asistieron 110 participantes y delegados que representaban a gobiernos locales, organizaciones no gubernamentales, grupos profesionales, centros académicos y movimientos sociales procedentes de 18 países. De modo colectivo, los asistentes acordaron el establecimiento de esta nueva entidad y suscribieron cartas de adhesión a las que se sumaron las de otras 50 instituciones, entidades y organizaciones de América Latina, Europa y otras regiones
2. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development
http://www.wbcsd.org
WBCSD is a CEO-led, global association of some 200 companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development. The Council provides a platform for companies to explore sustainable development, share knowledge, experiences and best practices, and to advocate business positions on these issues in a variety of forums, working with governments, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations. Members are drawn from more than 35 countries and 20 major industrial sectors. The Council also benefits from a global network of some 60 national and regional business councils and regional partners.
· Mobility as a Driver for Economic Development: Brazil Case Study by WBSCD
http://www.wbcsd.org/Plugins/DocSearch/details.asp?DocTypeId=25&ObjectId=MzQ0Mzg
· Alliance for Inclusive Business in Latin America
http://www.inclusivebusiness.org/
The WBSSD is funded through Netherlands Development Organization (SNV). Contact Neil of SNV.
3. Shack/Slum Dwellers International
www.sdinet.co.za
Founded in 1996, Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI) is a transnational network of local slum dweller organizations that have come together at the city and national level to form federations of the urban poor. SDI has affiliates in Latin America, Asia and Africa.
4. The International Union for Housing Finance (IUHF)
http://www.housingfinance.org/index.php
This organization is a primary source of information for trends and innovations in housing finance and mortgage lending from around the world. In doing this, we hope to increase the rates of home ownership globally by expanding the availability of mortgage credit.
5. RedEAmerica
www.redeamerica.org
The Inter-American Network of Corporate Foundations and Companies for Grassroots Development (RedEAmérica) seeks to expand funding responsive to organizations of low-income people whom this support will assist in implementing self-help projects, strengthening community organizations, engaging in local development and building democratic societies from the bottom up. RedEAmerica was officially established in September 2002 and has more than 50 members in 12 countries. RedEAmerica is governed by its general assembly of all members which elects a council of directors and a general secretariat and appoints national and hemispheric CEO committees to directly engage its business leaders.
6. Un Techo Para Mi País
www.untechoparamipais.org
Un Techo para mi País (UTPMP) es una organización latinoamericana que nace en Chile en 1997. Hoy ya está presente en 15 países. Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Perú, República Dominicana y Uruguay se unen a través del trabajo de miles de voluntarios y comunidades que luchan por un continente más justo.
Foreign Governments in Latin America working on Urban/Housing Issues
1. Brazil
Ministry of Cities/ Ministério Das Cidades
www.cidades.gov.br
Created by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2003, the Ministry of Cities is responsible for urban development policy and sectoral policies for housing, sanitation and urban transportation.
CAIXA Econômica Federal
www.caixa.gov.br
CAIXA is a major government-owned financial institution that provides banking products and services in Brazil. Its activities include real estate loans, basic sanitation, urban infrastructure, and commercial banks. It also pays social benefits such as unemployment and operates the country’s lottery.
2. Chile
MINURVI
http://www.minurvi.org/
MINURVI (regional group on intergovernmental cooperation for the Ministries of Housing and Urban Development in Santiago
3. Mexico
CONAFOVI
http://www.conafovi.gob.mx/
La Comisión Nacional de Vivienda es la instancia federal encargada de coordinar la función de promoción habitacional, así como de aplicar y cuidar que se cumplan los objetivos y metas del gobierno federal en materia de vivienda, plasmados en el Programa Nacional de Vivienda 2007-2012: Hacia un desarrollo habitacional sustentable
Fondo de Operación y Financiamiento Bancario a la Vivienda
http://www.fovi.gob.mx/
FOVI es un Fideicomiso Público constituido en 1963 por el Gobierno Federal a través de la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público en Banco de México, el cual es administrado por la Sociedad Hipotecaria Federal, S.N.C. a partir del 26 de febrero de 2002.
Fideicomiso para el Ahorro de Energía Electrica (FIDE), the Trust for Electric Energy Saving, was founded with the goal to promote rational electric energy use and energy saving. FIDE is a private non-profit organization.
4. Peru
Inter-American Union of Housing
UNIAPRAVI, Lima
International Organizations working with Sustainable Cities
1. UN HABITAT (Rio)
Hosting the UN-HABITAT’s Fifth World Urban Forum: ‘The Right to the City: Bridging the Urban Divide’ (WUF V). HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan will be leading the U.S. Delegation to this major international conference, took place March 22-26, 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
· OurUrbanPlanet
www.oururbanplanet.org
OurUrbanPlanet.org is an online space intended to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities presented by the unprecedented wave of urbanization sweeping the developing world. Created to coincide with The Places We Live Exhibit, UN World Habitat Day 2009, and World Urban Forum 5, the site is maintained by a broad coalition of development organizations that are helping societies adjust to our increasingly urban planet.
2. World Bank, Urban Management Finance, Private Sector and Infrastructure and the Latin America and the Caribbean Region
· Housing and Land Development
http://go.worldbank.org/KQMFOGFBK0
· Dialogue on Cities and Climate Change
World Bank just launched a new program on Sustainable Urban Development. They kicked it off with a full day conference with info located here: http://go.worldbank.org/1SDXQM7760
· City Alliance
http://www.citiesalliance.org/ca/
The Consultative Group consists of financial contributors to the Cities Alliance Trust Fund and the political heads of the global organization of local authorities, UCLG, and Metropolis, who have pledged their commitment to achieving Alliance goals. The Consultative Group is co-chaired by the World Bank’s vice president for Sustainable Development and UN-HABITAT’s executive director. Prospective financial contributors may serve as associate members for two years. The Consultative Group has also set up the eight-member Executive Committee, made up of a subset of its members, to provide guidance to the Secretariat.
3. Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Urban Development and Sustainable Development Sections
· Effects of Land Titling on Child Health
http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubR-491.pdf
The evaluation of four case studies with ADB on the Applicability of Post 2012 Climate Instruments to the Transport Sector (CITS) Project. The LatAm cases include Transport Policy NAMA, Porto Alegre, Brazil and Mexico.
http://www.sutp.org
· IDB Report highlights clean urban transportation projects as a way to engage in Climate Change debate. This report, for example, suggests that the Bank has been funding these types of projects since 2000. http://www.iadb.org/sds/doc/Clima_inside.pdf
· Additional IDB Papers/Reports/Articles:
- http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=419411
- http://www.iadb.org/sds/doc/Urban%20English%202%2D19%2D04final.pdf
4. United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)
www.cities-localgovernments.org
United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) represents and defends the interests of local governments on the world stage, regardless of the size of the communities they serve. UCLG’s members include individual cities and national associations of local governments, which represent all the cities and local governments in a single country. Its membership includes over 1,000 cities across 95 countries and 112 Local Government Associations (LGAs). UCLG joined the Cities Alliance in 2000.
· Federation of Latin American Cities, Municipalities and Associations (FLACMA)
http://www.flacma.org/
La Federación Latinoamericana de Ciudades, Municipios y Asociaciones de Gobiernos Locales, FLACMA es la representación regional de la organización mundial de Ciudades y Gobiernos Locales Unidos, CGLU.
5. The Local Governments for Sustainability--Climate Roadmap
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=7694
Leading local government associations world-wide which represent communities around the globe, are driving the Local Government Climate Roadmap; a process that started during COP 13 in December 2007. The Roadmap advocates for a strong and comprehensive post-2012 global climate agreement, which will hopefully be adopted during COP 15 in Copenhagen (Denmark), in December 2009.
· Cumbre sobre Liderazgo de los Gobiernos Locales en el Cambio Climático
http://www.kl.dk/Ekstranets-link-ikke-det-denne/localclimatesummit/
On 2-4 June 2009, the Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event was hosted by the Local Government Denmark (LGDK) which is the interest group and member authority of Danish municipalities. The Summit sent a united message on the role of municipalities and regions throughout the world in combating climate change. More than 700 participants contributed to the Summit.
· ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability--Latin America and Caribbean Web site
http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=469
outdated but interesting: http://www3.iclei.org/localstrategies/summary/curitiba2.html
Local government associations in the international climate negotiations aim to emphasize the crucial role of cities and local governments in climate protection, and want this key role to be recognized in the post-2012 climate regime.
Global Planning Educators Interest Group: http://www.gpeig.org/
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