Policy Brief Nordic Cities Green Resilient Healthy Fostering National Policies And Initiatives For Urban Green Space

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2022-018/ This policy brief is issued by the Nordic Working Group for Sustainable Cities, under the umbrella of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The overall objective and purpose of the efforts of this working group, which ended its work at the end of 2021 and was subsequently integrated into the Nordic Working Group on Biodiversity, was to contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030 with an emphasis on strengthening the exchange of experiences and co-operating on Nordic solutions for sustainable urban development. The importance of urban green spaces in achieving this has been a key focus of the group’s work. The text was prepared by Cecil C. Konijnendijk under assignment from the Working Group.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2023-728/ Our Vision 2030 describes what it will take to make the Nordic Region the most sustainable and integrated region in the world. The sheer ambition makes it important to monitor progress closely. To this end, the Nordic Council of Ministers commissioned Rambøll Management Consulting to conduct baseline measurements back in 2021. The idea was to map out the starting point for work on the vision. This status report follows up on the baseline measurements and assesses progress towards realising the vision. It is based on the 45 indicators adopted by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021 and the methodology used for the baseline report. Overall, the 2023 status report shows that the Nordic Region remains on track to become the most sustainable and integrated region in the world. This is particularly true for the visions of a competitive Nordic Region and a socially sustainable Nordic Region. However, there is room for improvement with regard to the visions for a green Nordic Region.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2021-505/# Sustainable Nordic cities with a focus on climate-smart mobility is one of four projects launched under the Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2018. The aim of the project is to contribute to a sustainable urban development by supporting the transition to fossil free and sustainable transportation in Nordic cities and their surround-ing regions. The project involves collaborating and exchanging experi-ences with other Nordic countries to find solutions for charging electric vehicles and creating attractive and climate-smart urban transport. This report has been compiled from some of the most interesting applicable examples found in the Nordic countries. In here we present policy recom-mendations and good examples on how to accelerate the transition to cli-mate-smart mobility and accessibility based firmly on these Nordic exchang-es of knowledge and experiences.

Social sustainability revolves around the human factor as a crucial prerequisite for a sustainable city and a sustainable society. Cities have great potential for developing and implementing innovative solutions and for reducing energy and resource consumption. This urban policy and architectural policy are important for us to have well-functioning cities. Citizens with different social, cultural, and economic backgrounds living side by side make cities more diverse and socially sustainable. Given the complexity of the challenges, there is a need for an overall urban policy framework for how they are addressed, and the potentials utilized. By thinking social conditions, environment, and economy together, the probability of being able to implement coherent solutions can be improved. This manuscript discusses the concept of sustainability with case studies in Nordic country. The intention is to combine considerations for the environment, social conditions, and the economy in order to develop a sustainable policy that is both holistic and long-term. Our cities must have room for everyone and involve as many people as possible.

The 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015, outlines an ambitious and universal plan of action for people, planet and prosperity as it seeks to strengthen universal peace and freedom. This report presents national and Nordic action on Agenda 2030 with the aim to inform and support the Nordic Council of Ministers in formulating a new Nordic Sustainable Development Programme. All Nordic countries are engaged and strongly committed to implementing Agenda 2030 and there is a broad societal interest in joint Nordic action. The existing Nordic Strategy for Sustainable Development and several other key initiatives within Nordic cooperation already contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030. A new Nordic Sustainable Development Programme can build upon a strong foundation and add further value to the national and international work done by the Nordic countries.

Series of papers which describe approaches to cold climate habitability from various northern nations including examples from Canada, China, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Japan, Mongolia, Norway, Soviet Union, Sweden and the United States.

The problems related to the process of industrialisation such as biodiversity depletion, climate change and a worsening of health and living conditions, especially but not only in developing countries, intensify. Therefore, there is an increasing need to search for integrated solutions to make development more sustainable. The United Nations has acknowledged the problem and approved the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. On 1st January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda officially came into force. These goals cover the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. The Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals comprehensively addresses the SDGs in an integrated way. The Encyclopedia encompasses 17 volumes, each one devoted to one of the 17 SDGs. This volume addresses SDG 11, namely “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” and contains the description of a range of terms, which allows a better understanding and fosters knowledge. This book presents a set of papers on the state of the art of knowledge and practices about the numerous challenges for cities, solutions and opportunities for the future. Concretely, the defined targets are: Ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums Provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons Enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage Significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning Substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials Editorial Board Samuel Borges Barbosa, Luciana Londero Brandli, Elisa Conticelli, Erin A. Hopkins, Olga Kuznetsova, Astrid Skjerven, Hari Srinivas