Urban Nature Declaration: 31 cities sign deal to invest in green space

29 Jul 2021 CW Team

As many as 31 cities have signed the C40 Cities Urban Nature Declaration, with the aime to invest in green spaces for improving air quality and consolidating protection against climate impacts such as flooding and drought, and extreme heat.

According to the pledge, within two years of signing, the cities commit to make nature goals public, developing programs for green jobs, developing a process for involving vulnerable and marginalised communities, mapping current and expected climate risks and vulnerability, accelerating action to address governance barriers to implementation, analysing and mapping where new greening is needed and where opportunities for existing green spaces exist, annually publicly reporting their progress, mobilising access to investments and resources that support the declaration targets.

As per the pledge, delivering the key targets by 2030, 30-40% of city surface area should consist of green or blue infrastructure including trees, urban forests and parks, along with sustainable urban drainage systems and permeable pavements.

The pledge also sets a target for 70% of a city’s population to get access to green or blue public spaces within a 15-minute walk or bike ride by the year 2030.

The cities that have signed the Urban Nature Declaration are—Guadalajara, Haifa, Lima, London, Los Angeles, Medellin, Milan, Mumbai, New Orleans, Paris, Quezon City, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Rotterdam, Salvador, Seattle, Stockholm, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, and Toronto. Athens, Austin, Barcelona, Berlin, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Curitiba, Durban, and Freetown.

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