29 March 2012 – New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg was a highlight at this week’s C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group meeting in Melbourne of leading capital cities from around the world concerned with sustainability and climate change issues.
He sounded a note of optimism about cities ahead of a public discussion tonight (Thursday), Sustainable Communities: Collaborating, Planning, Delivering
The event is at BMW Edge, Federation Square.
Panelists include:
- Danish architect Jan Gehl, founder of Gehl Architects, and Professor Emeritus of Urban Design at the School of Architecture in Copenhagen
- Melanie Nutter, director San Francisco Environment Department, USA
- Romilly Madew, chief executive Green Building Council of Australia, Sydney
- Billie Giles-Corti, director, McCaughey Centre, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne
Delegates from 17 countries attended the workshop from 28-30 March to discuss the design, development and creation of sustainable communities.
Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said: “We confront similar challenges: accommodating growing populations, creating opportunities for economic growth and infrastructure challenges. City leaders know that sustainability and economic growth are inexorably linked.
“The C40 workshop will focus on new approaches to these challenges and bring us a step closer to a blueprint for sustainable urban development.”
And Mr Bloomberg’s comment?
“We know that on our rapidly urbanising planet – where half the world’s people now live in cities and where, within 40 years time, urban areas are likely to be home to up to three-fourths of humanity – cities are both the primary source of, and also the most hopeful cure for, the human activities that contribute to climate change. That is why these types of city-to-city exchanges are something C40 is strongly committed to fostering.”