An innovation competition to accelerate the shift to climate neutral cities
The Climate Smart Cities Challenge harnesses the creativity and energy of innovators to work with cities to help achieve global net zero and create a better future for all. Launched by the UN and Sweden, this innovation competition will accelerate the shift to climate neutral cities, by empowering innovators and communities to collaborate in designing and demonstrating solutions and reinventing how cities innovate.
The competition asks innovators – technologists, SMEs, start-ups, developers, finance experts and more – to submit their best ideas and solutions to one of the unique challenges identified by the four partner cities – Bogota, Colombia; Bristol, United Kingdom; Curitiba, Brazil and Makindye Ssabagabo, Uganda. We are looking for organizations that can play a role in implementing transformative, real-world projects.
Cities around the world face daunting sustainability challenges. The catastrophic risks of climate change coupled with rising inequalities, lack of affordable housing and transport options, food and energy insecurity and other problems pose real threats to cities. But cities have always been beacons of innovation, centres of influence and thought-leaders demonstrating new ideas and models of governance and ambitious partnerships with business and civil society.
Every day more than 67,000 delivery vehicles clog the streets of Bogotá, contributing to the traffic congestion of the city and emitting 850,000 tonnes of CO2. How can we increase the efficiency of these operations to reduce congestion and emissions and improve productivity?
Bristol – currently facing a climate emergency and a housing crisis – aims to develop 24,000 new affordable homes by 2050. While the built environment contributes around 40% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. How can we develop and scale new ways of delivering affordable and carbon-neutral housing?
Despite an impressive history as a world leader in developing active mobility and public transport, private car ownership in Curitiba continues to rise. How can we create zero carbon neighborhoods that integrate multiple urban functions, and promote economic opportunity and green job growth for local residents?
Makindye Ssabagabo is one of the fastest growing cities in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan area, but has a severe lack of affordable and green housing. How can we develop scalable, affordable green technologies and models to accommodate the growing population sustainably?
Bogota
ZaiNar, United States – Transport monitoring platform
Beemetrix, France – AI platform/app
Scipopulis Desenvolvimento e Análise de Dados, Brazil – Data sharing platform
ClearRoad, United States – Road-pricing platform
Wiiglo, Brazil – Transport monitoring platform
Greater Than / FIA Smart Driving Challenge, Sweden – AI platform/app
RUNWITHIT Synthetics, Canada – Digital modelling/routing
SingulaCity, United Kingdom – Digital modelling/routing
DecisionBrain, France – AI platform/app
Bristol
Greencore Construction, United Kingdom – Housing construction
Bioregional Hill, United Kingdom – Housing Developer
We Can Make, United Kingdom – Community housing developer
igloo Regeneration, United Kingdom – Real estate investor
EDAROTH, United Kingdom – Housing Developer
changebuilding, United Kingdom – Construction & design
Parametric Solutions, Sweden – AI scenario planning tool
Brighter Places, United Kingdom – Housing association
Microgrid Foundry Limited, United Kingdom – Energy (renewable)
Nodono technology, Sweden – Carbon calculator for construction
ilke Homes, United Kingdom – Housing Developer
Innerspace Homes Group, United Kingdom – Housing Developer
Bristol Community Land Trust, United Kingdom – Community land trust
Ecoclime Group, Sweden – Energy/property company
PyTerra Limited, United Kingdom – Blockchain platform
Curitiba
Green Bricks, Chile – Sustainable construction
Ambiente Livre, Brazil – Waste management/circular economy
Smart Green Station, Sweden – Mobility
Allihop, Sweden – Mobility
AMA – Agentes do Meio Ambiente (Environmental Agents), Brazil – Civic engagement digital solution
Vacuum Gravity Energy, Ukraine – Energy
Nudgd, Sweden – Civic engagement digital solution
Marula Proteen Limited, Netherlands – Waste management/circular economy
SunEmison Solar Energy Private, India – Energy
Makindye Ssabagabo
Eco Brixs, United Kingdom – Building materials
Endelevo, Brazil – Facade greening
KasanaShare, Uganda – Energy
Urban Planning Constellation, United States – Urban planning
Marula Proteen, Uganda – Insect-based biorefinery
Impact Building Solutions Foundation, Uganda – Housing developer
Stockholm Water Technology, Sweden – Water management
Impulser, Sweden – Wastewater
Sustainability Concepts, Sweden – Wastewater
CLC Global-USA, United States – Urban planning
Reall, United Kingdom – Housing developer
Smart Havens Africa, Uganda – Housing developer
In November 2020, we worked with Teknikföretagen, Viable Cities, UN-Habitat, Smart City Sweden, Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency and Expo 2020 Sweden to launch the Climate Smart Cities Challenge open call. This was the first stage of the Climate Smart Cities Challenge and an opportunity for cities to apply to be a partner to run an open innovation competition that will invite a global pool of technologists, businesses and investors to develop, test and scale cutting-edge solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a better future for all.
We were looking for cities to tell us about their aspirations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions whilst creating thriving communities. These could have included a wide range of interventions across multiple sectors or a combination, such as urban form and physical design, transport, waste management, food production, energy systems, housing, ecosystems, use of public space and others. We were interested in hearing about challenges that, if solved, would not only reduce or offset emissions but would also promote other sustainability and livability goals for cities.
Four cities were selected in April 2021 who, alongside the challenge partners, would support innovators to develop, test and scale cutting-edge solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under an open innovation competition. The cities were Bogotá, Bristol, Curitiba and Makindye Ssabagabo.
In November 2021, we worked with UN-Habitat and Sweden to launch the four Climate Smart Cities Challenges at the Swedish Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The climate challenges of these four cities ranged from green and affordable homes, net-zero-carbon neighbourhoods to urban freight management. The Challenge invited innovative organisations of different types and sizes to submit their best approaches, solutions and technologies to reduce carbon emissions while providing positive impacts on the quality of life in the four cities.
The Climate Smart Cities Challenge used an open innovation competition process, where teams of innovators were selected to collaborate with cities and investors to demonstrate climate smart approaches that will inform future investments in the cities. The outcomes of the competition will have a significant impact on the four cities’ responses to climate change by significantly strengthening their capacity to engage in diverse partnerships and enabling communities and innovators to play a key role in designing people-driven solutions.
In January 2022, 45 finalists were selected from nearly 200 proposals, which were reviewed by an expert advisory panel, the cities and the Climate Smart Cities Challenge partners. The solutions proposed by teams of innovators will tackle specific challenges in four cities (Bogotá, Bristol, Curitiba and Makindye Ssabagabo) such as freight mobility and affordable housing.
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