The Sustainable Cities Initiative is a Canadian partnership initiative aimed at enhancing the sustainability of economic development in cities, and helping their citizens in improving their quality of life without compromising their future.
The objectives of the SCI are to facilitate business partnership among firms, NGOs and government to attain sustainable development goals;
To facilitate sustainable development of cities in developing and emerging economies by transferring Canadian knowledge and technology;
To position Canada as a pre-eminent source of technology, expertise, and products for urban sustainable development;
To build commercial relationships between developed and developing countries; and
To impact positively on poverty reduction and environmental integrity.
Measurable results and specific
targets:
Improve the quality of life for the citizens of the cities where the SCI has a presence.
Increase the engagement of the private sector, NGOs and governments in sustainable development. To date the SCI has partnered with 343 SMEs and large firms, 96 NGOs, 19 financial institutions, and 255 other government officials in 5 cities.
Development of domestic sustainable development capabilities.
Expansion of commercial relationships between Canadian organizations and developing and emerging economies. Thus far the pilot SCI has launched its program in Cordoba (Argentina), Katowice (Poland), Qingdao (China), Salvador (Brazil), and San Jose (Costa Rica) for a total of $3 Billion Canadian dollars in economic activity ($2B of which are already being actively pursued by Canadian firms and organizations).
Through the implementation of SCI projects and initiatives, facilitate the transfer of sustainable development technologies and expertise, particularly as they relate to the issues of urbanization, clean air and water, sustainable transportation, economic development, health, environment, and the enhancement of quality of life in developing economies
Remain transparent to its partners and the world through public consultations, city-specific newsletters, a general SCI news bulletin, the SCI web site, and the further involvement of its partners in decision making
Implementation mechanisms
and further application:
Achieving urban sustainability requires both multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral participation and, therefore, an integral part of the SCI process is the building of teams with diverse areas of expertise. In each city there is a team comprised of private sector, municipalities, government, non-government organizations (NGOs), academics and others who are interested in and can contribute to the SCI. City Teams actively participate in city selection, relationship building at the city level, initiative identification, and city roadmap building.
The SCI process follows four steps: (1) City Identification; (2) Team Formation; (3) Roadmap Building; and (4) Project Implementation.
The pilot SCI is a proven concept in five cities and is currently in the process of launching two new cities: Durban (South Africa) and Valparaiso/Viña del Mar (Chile).
The SCI has shared objectives with a variety of international programs, including the UN Sustainable Cities Program, the UN Public-Private Partnerships for the Urban Environment, the UN Regional Network of Local Authorities for the Management of Human Settlements, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.
Plans for further application include the establishment of the SCI footprint in all regions of the developing world through the expansion of the SCI to 25 - 30 new cities; and continued integration of the SCI's objectives with Agenda 21 and Millennium Development Goals.
Since the fall of 1999, the SCI has been funded, as a pilot initiative, through the Government of Canada's Department of Industry. Efforts are underway to secure funding to expand the SCI beyond the pilot scale.
