Going green: how cities are leading the next economy
The LSE Cities/ICLEI survey on Cities and the Green Economy provides an up-to-date overview on the experiences of cities around the world in the transition to the green economy. The survey was conducted in the run-up to Rio+20 in order to increase awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of cities as key contributors to this global green transformation. In particular, it investigate the environmental challenges that cities face, along with the opportunities, progress and barriers to going green and fostering economic growth. The survey covers key aspects of green policies and the green economy, smart city technology, green policy assessment and urban governance. This report provides preliminary results from an analysis of 53 cities that responded to the survey ahead of Rio+20. The sample of respondents comprises a diverse set of cities from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The cities also represent a range of population sizes and are located in countries of varying income levels. The results highlight a number of common experiences shared by most cities. However, it also identifies significant differences not only in the type of challenges that cities face, but also the speed and ambition of different cities in moving to the green economy.