Inspired by the 2018 Edmonton Declaration – and galvanized by the Innovate4Cities 2021 Conference – the City Research and Innovation Agenda seeks to fill local-level knowledge, information, and technology gaps at every stage of the city climate action journey. Sourced directly from local policymakers, city leaders, and practitioners, it highlights today’s critical urban climate needs, outlines the necessary cross-sector partnerships and actions for successful delivery, and charts pathways to drive action implementation.
Research and innovation priorities are built on four priority city-focused questions:
- How do we build the evidence base for climate action?
- How – and for whom – should we prioritize?
- What should we do?
- How do we finance and scale climate action?
Guided by GCoM’s Research and Innovation Technical Working Group, Innovate4Cities and the City Research and Innovation Agenda encourage alliance partners to contribute, collaborate and co-design projects – involving cities, local governments, and cross-sector stakeholders – to meet the gaps identified in the City Research and Innovation Agenda.
The City Research and Innovation Agenda is a key outcome of the Innovate4Cities 2021 Conference that was co-hosted by GCoM and UN-Habitat and co-sponsored by the IPCC. This conference was a virtual global and regional event that brought together nearly 7,000 participants from diverse science and innovation, policy and practice communities, united by the common objective of enabling cities to take accelerated and more ambitious climate action.