--- Cities Network ---

SUSTAINABLE CITIES

Papers and Factsheets

Urban water supply and sanitation
written by Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida)
Safe drinking water, sanitation and good hygienic conditions are essential for human survival, health and dignity. Adequate and reliable water supplies and sanitation services are critical for coping with everyday urban life. Good management of water resources is vital to environmental safety and sustainability. Considerable improvements are needed by 2015 if one particular Millennium Development Goal is to be reached: "Halving the proportion of people lacking access to safe water and basic sanitation".

Urban Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Implication for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction
The Cities Alliance present the Urban Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Implication for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction by Christine Kessides. The book outline of the challenges that rapid urbanization specifically in sub-Saharan Africa constitutes and some of the ways in which these can be met. In the space of only six chapters, Christine Kessides examines the context in which this rapid urbanization is taking place; (i) how the emerging cities and towns can be made to contribute positively to the development of the continent, especially to reducing the pervasive poverty among the majority or urban residents; (ii) what requirements need to be met to make this happen; (iii) what is at stake or what are the opportunity costs to African countries if these requirements are not met; and (iv) what are the strategic and operational choices and priorities that would enable most African countries to gain the best in the process of its transition to a largely urbanized society.

Read/download Urban Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Implication for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction in English on: http://www.citiesalliance.org/

Setting the Course: A Guidebook on Planning for Global Warming
Local government leaders will soon have a new tool to help them plan for the impacts of global warming, as peer review is about to begin on 'Setting the Course: A Guidebook on Planning for Global Warming'. The publication will be a framework that communities can use to prepare for and adapt to regional climate changes. The guidebook will become part of ICLEI's Climate Resilient Communities program, which enables communities to integrate climate preparedness strategies into existing hazard mitigation plans, reduce the costs associated with disaster relief, and prioritize vulnerabilities such as infrastructure, zoning and water capacity. The ICLEI website will inform readers when the Guidebook becomes available.
https://www.iclei.org

Sustainable City Council Guide
The city of Barcelona (Spain), Vice-Chair and one of the founding authorities of the Procura+ Campaign, has published the Sustainable City Council Programme Guide.
The Guide is the city's attempt to spread the incorporation of good environmental and social practices throughout the city. It presents a collection of guidelines, advice and technical information for all local workers, in order to actively involve everyone in achieving a more sustainable city council.
More specifically, the Guide includes the most outstanding sustainable procurement achievements, and presents the environmental, social and ethical considerations that have been taken into account in public procurement, such as paper, cleaning services, fair trade products and sustainable timber.
The guide is available in English, Spanish and Catalan. To download a copy in English, please go to http://www.iclei-europe.org.
For more information about the Guide or Barcelona's Sustainable City Council Programme, please contact Ms Helena Barraco from the city of Barcelona at hbarraco@bcn.cat.

Procura+ Manual- a tool for ICLEI's sustainable procurement campaign
The Procura+ Manual, a tool for ICLEI's sustainable procurement campaign, is now available. Procura+ is an ICLEI initiative designed to help support public authorities across Europe in implementing sustainable procurement practices, and to help promote their achievements. The Manual provides clear and simple advice on how public authorities such as local governments, universities and schools, and hospitals can implement sustainable procurement - regardless of their size or level of experience. If you would like the Manual mailed to you, please send an email to Peter Defranceschi, Project Office of the Sustainable Procurement Team at peter.defranceschi@iclei-europe.org.(You are welcome to request more than one copy.)
It is also possible to download the Manual from the Procura+ website, at www.procuraplus.org.

New report on sustainable buildings released
The ICLEI Oceania Secretariat has recently released a new report titled 'Local Government: Accelerating the Uptake of Sustainable Building'.
The report is designed to provide useful background information and council case studies regarding key policy mechanisms available to local governments to stimulate sustainable building. Nine key action agendas, or possible initiatives to be undertaken, are featured in the report, focusing on areas where local governments have the greatest influence It will assist councils in mapping out opportunities for accelerating sustainable building in council's own operations and within their municipalities.
The report, funded by the Australian Building Commission, is largely based on the outcomes of a workshop held in Melbourne (Australia) in April 2007 that was attended by over 60 council staff and key stakeholders. For a copy, please go to the ICLEI Oceania Secretariat website to download the full report. Community Based Adaptation Exchange (CBA-X) is a new shared online resource designed to bring together and grow the CBA community. CBA-X provides a site of exchange for up-to-date and relevant information about community-based adaptation.
www.cba-exchange.org

Adaptation to Climate Change - How are we set to cope with the impacts
This briefing paper defines climate change adaptation and show why it matters, who needs to adapt most, and what shape adaptation must take across a range of scales and sectors.
To download this IIED Briefing paper click here

Local Strategies for Accelerating Sustainability: Case Studies of Local Government Success
The publication "Local Strategies for Accelerating Sustainability, Case Studies of Local Government Success" was launched at the UN fourth Preparatory Committee Meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Local Strategies summarizes ten full case studies and 20 related examples of cities that are accelerating the transition to sustainable, equitable, and secure communities. Some cases include Kobe City, Japan, which focuses on building a resilient city after an earthquake and the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities which focuses on creating a strong local government that implements sustainable development in the form of Local Agendas 21. Local Strategies will be distributed widely before and during the World Summit. Full case studies can be found on the ICLEI website.