about the initiative
As part of preparations for the 2020 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that was due to be held in Kigali, Rwanda in June 2020, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Commonwealth Association of Architects, the Commonwealth Association of Planners, and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, in collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure, the Rwandan Ministry of Local Government and The Prince’s Foundation, with support from other Commonwealth organisations, governmental, professional and technical partners, have been working together to promote a Call to Action on sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth.
With nearly 50% of the projected increase in the world’s urban population to 2050 forecast to be in the Commonwealth, there has never been a more important time for members of the Commonwealth to come together to tackle the challenges of climate change and rapid urbanisation; challenges which have now been compounded by the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. This page outlines a range of activities and resources which we aim to build upon and develop in the weeks and months ahead.
call to action
The Call to Action on Sustainable Urbanisation across the Commonwealth has been developed jointly by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP) and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), in collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA), the Rwandan Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) and The Prince’s Foundation, with support from other Commonwealth organisations, governmental, professional and technical partners. To read and download the full version of the Call to Action click here.
good practice platform
To supplement the Call to Action on Sustainable Urbanisation across the Commonwealth, this Good Practice Platform has been created to exemplify the sort of innovative and collaborative work already being undertaken locally to help advance sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth. The intention is to illustrate how, with a sharper focus and appropriate resources, the Commonwealth can come together to more effectively tackle the challenges of climate change, rapid urbanisation and the recovery from Covid-19. These examples have been shared by a number of organisations working in the field of sustainable urbanisation, if you would like to submit an example please email info@commonwealthsustainablecities.org.
online events
Between 24 June 2020 until 02 September 2020 the partners curated an programme of online webinars, which explored the potential for greater inter-disciplinary, cross-sector collaboration to address the challenges posed by climate change, rapid urbanisation and the recovery from Covid-19. The programme comprised a total of 11 separate sessions. Click here for the full list of sessions and live recordings. A compilation video of clips from the key note speakers from the opening and closing sessions can be watched here:
the survey
UN Habitat estimates that 65% of the of the targets underlying the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are linked to territorial and urban development, and built environment professionals are central to the design of cities and human settlements that meet the requirements of Goal 11 to be inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. But how well equipped are the built environment professions to meet this challenge? This is the question which the four Commonwealth associations representing architects, engineers, town planners, and surveyors set out to answer in the Survey of the Built Environment Professions in the Commonwealth; the first such joint survey ever to have been undertaken. For details of the survey, click here.
the CPD programme
In order to help promote knowledge exchange, mutual understanding and greater awareness on issues related to climate change and rapid urbanisation together with the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Commonwealth Association of Architects has developed a lecture series for professionals, comprising a pilot programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). While targeted at qualified built environment professionals, we hope that this series will be of interest to policymakers, city leaders and students alike. For further details of the programme, click here.
the data platform
As part of its response to the findings of the Survey of the Built Environment Professions in the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth Association of Architects has created a data platform, the aim of which is to serve as an accessible source of information for all those with an interest in the subject of sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth. Click here to learn more and to gain access to the platform.
join us
If you are interested in learning more or becoming involved with a Call to Action on sustainable urbanisation across the Commonwealth, or any of the activities referred to on this page, then please contact us at info@commonwealthsustainablecities.org.
acknowledgements
The organisers would like to extend their thanks to all the contributors for their support in the creation of this online programme.
All images are credited to: Johnny Miller, https://unequalscenes.com/
