Zero-carbon cities are the bridge to a sustainable future

Giorgia Rambelli: Cities produce about three-quarters of all greenhouse gas emissions, and are responsible for 70% of the world’s energy consumption. So if we don't tackle the net-zero cities challenge, we won’t achieve sustainable development.

But the issue is larger than just achieving net-zero cities. We have to support them into making a holistic transition to net-zero. That entails pursuing resilience and ensuring that our communities remain inclusive. There is no way to have sustainable cities that are just decarbonized. They need to be inclusive, to bring citizens on board.

This is why cities are essential. They’re not just providers of services. They are the bridge between citizens and the policies we need for a sustainable future.

Gavin Allen: How important is digital technology to achieving the goals you've set out?

Giorgia Rambelli: Technology is one of the levers that will enable our transformation. We also need

forward-looking regulation, better standards, and policies that take into account social fairness and inclusiveness.

Technology helps us unlock some of the opportunities that we already have. Very often, though, cities and local governments are not yet able to fully reap the benefits of technology, for several reasons.

First, cities have a lot of competent people, spread out across a lot of different departments that are supposed to work together. But sometimes it's difficult for them to collaborate.

There is also often a lack of capacity – not just with respect to resources, which is still a big challenge, but in understanding what technologies are out there. With such rapid changes – in artificial intelligence, for example – it’s impossible for cities to do everything and to know exactly what's going on all the time, with every type of technology, with every type of innovation.

Gavin Allen: Which technologies are not being fully utilized?

Giorgia Rambelli: Anything related to data and digital solutions has incredible potential. But in both the Global North and the Global South, some cities still lack access to the data they need for informed policymaking. There are also cities that might have access to the data, but can’t manage it, either because they lack the skills, or because they lack an actual individual able to bring this information together and digest it so it becomes something you can act on.

Then, of course, there is the issue of having the tools that unlock the power of this data. This is where forecasting has incredible potential, not only to help us decarbonize, but also determine where we should invest.

For example, we are working with a number of cities to develop a toolbox for urban planning and mobility. They want to see different layers of data come together, so they can decide, “Where do I put my cycling lane? Where does it cost the least? But most of all, where am I sure there is a bus stop, so that if someone wants to go to a hospital, they can actually get there? How do I plan the route of the bike lane? Do I put it where there is the most traffic? Or do I check the air quality, to make sure whoever is cycling isn’t breathing in all that exhaust. How do I make sure there is enough shade for cyclists and pedestrians, so they can enjoy that space and benefit from it?” 

It’s really a lot of information. The challenge is to bring it all together in a meaningful way.    

Gavin Allen: What are the challenges in designing cities where no one is left behind?

Giorgia Rambelli: There is no sustainable city that doesn't think about all of its citizens. And many changes require participation from, and acceptance by, citizens.

Think about energy-efficient housing. It’s empowering for a homeowner to say, “I can invest in my home, I can retrofit it so that I’m producing my own energy.” But they may also need to talk to the other people who live in their building, to make that investment together. That’s not always easy, so it's important that people understand what the benefits are, and that they feel that they’re part of the change. That way, they’re more likely to want to see that change, and to help bring it about.

Gavin Allen: Are you seeing progress toward zero carbon cities?

Giorgia Rambelli: If you're asking about the pace, that's always a very difficult question, because for me, we're always moving far too slowly. But we are at least making strides in the right direction. I think we should look at cities as a beacon of hope from that perspective.

Gavin Allen: Any final thoughts, or advice?

Giorgia Rambelli: Embrace technology, and look to the enabling factors that can help you reap its benefits. Because if you don't have the governance around the data you’re using, if you don't have the regulation, if you don't have the standards that give you access to the technology at a lower cost, everything will be very difficult.

We need to think not just about solutions that are ambitious, but about solutions that are affordable and can be scaled. The world is full of amazing pilot projects. But the scale we need for the transition that actually has to happen, that’s something totally different.

So, reduce the cost of the solutions and apply them across the board. This will ensure that more cities around the world, large and small, really utilize technology to the fullest.