Going green: how cities are leading the next economy: final report

The report ‘Going Green: How cities are leading the next economy’ provides an up-to-date overview on the experiences of 90 cities around the world in the transition to the green economy. The report consists of two parts. The first, section A, is a global survey of city governments that was conducted by LSE Cities, ICLEI and GGGI in the run-up to the Rio+20 conference and the 2012 Global Green Growth Forum in Copenhagen, in order to increase awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of cities as key contributors to this global green transformation. Its principal aim is to offer a fresh perspective on the environmental challenges that cities face along with the opportunities, progress and barriers to going green and fostering economic growth. The survey covers key aspects of green policies and the green economy, smart city technology, green policy assessment and urban governance. The second part, section B, investigates in greater detail the experience of eight case study cities in facilitating green growth. Given the importance of integrating policies for delivering green growth, four cross-cutting policy programmes were examined, including (1) land-use and transport; (2) eco-districts and buildings; (3) waste, recycling and energy; and (4) electric mobility and renewable energy. Two case study cities were selected for each theme, allowing for comparative analysis, and exploration of how similar objectives are being pursued in different contexts, with different policy tools, and using different types of public-private partnership (PPPs)