TDLC is Featured in a Video by Yokohama City
Ensuring that our cities are green is now one of the most important elements of livable cities. TDLC has delivered numerous knowledge sharing activities on this topic, creating opportunities for cities to showcase and discuss their pursuits towards becoming a greener city.
Yokohama City, a partner in the TDLC City Partnership Program (CPP), hosted the 13th Asian Smart Cities Conference (ASCC) on 22-24 October 2024, where the TDLC participated as a key collaborator and hosted an event with international speakers to discuss initiatives on the theme of city-level initiatives for pursuing green and resilient cities.
Angelica Nunez, Manager, World Bank Urban, Resilience, and Land Global Department delivered remarks at Opening Session, speaking about how cities are at the frontline in the fight against climate change with around half of the world's population living in cities and responsible for 70% of GHG emissions, but also emphasizing the opportunities for cities to be at the forefront in solving these challenges.
Angelica Nunez at the Opening Ceremony of Asia Smart City Conference.
On the second day, the TDLC's session on ‘Building Livable, Green, and Resilient Cities ~ Replicable and scalable solutions from abroad~’ featured city-level initiatives from four cities and regions representing World Bank projects.
Mayor Hadianto Rasyid of Palu City (Indonesia) presented his vision towards building resilience in the city followed by the devastating earthquake in 2018. The Mayor stressed the importance of taking a comprehensive approach with, and how community involvement is key to urban transformation into a resilient city.
Mr. Temur Ibragimov representing Tashkent City (Uzbekistan) introduced initiatives to engage citizens in greening the city by using digital tools. Digital tools are leveraged to collect feedback from the citizens on urban issues, allowing for the city government to respond directly to these issues and thereby increase the livability of its citizens. The Tashkent example demonstrated the interlinkages between decarbonization, citizen well-being, and participatory urban planning.
Mr. Nurmukhammad Khoshimov from Samarkand (Uzbekistan) showcased the multiple approaches on the city, regional, and national level in pursuit of becoming a green city, highlighting the importance of taking a cross sectoral approach in decarbonization efforts. Examples included the introduction of solar energy systems to power both residential and commercial facilities, and the introduction of electric buses as a green option for travel.
Ms. Saba Asghar Ali from Punjab Province (Pakistan) introduced a set of policy actions to mitigate smog, discussing the transboundary effects of smog and the importance of international and regional cooperation. She also introduced the Changa Manga Forest Park, one of the largest man-made forests in the world as an ambitious initiative to address the issue of deforestation.
Following the presentations, the audience asked specific questions about the policies and initiatives, and there was a fruitful discussion to share practical and insightful knowledge on how to build resilient and green cities.
In the Closing Session of the conference, TDLC Team Lead Christopher Pablo moderated a panel discussion featuring Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka on the importance of local initiatives and international cooperation for greener cities, and expectations for the ASCC in the future.
As climate change and decarbonization continues to be of the utmost urgency for cities, opportunities to share and discuss city-level initiatives and learn from global best practices is e becoming increasingly important. TDLC will continue to focus on participating in such convening activities, leveraging our partnerships with Japanese cities and global networks.
Photo session with the participants across Asian cities.