Jeddah has joined the City Planning Accelerator, a worldwide initiative for climate-responsive city planning launched by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and C40 Cities, a worldwide community of almost 100 mayors driving the way forward for metropolis local weather motion.
The City Planning Accelerator builds on the partnerships and sensible approaches of the Jameel C40 City Planning Local weather Labs, established in 2023 by C40 and Neighborhood Jameel to help cities in translating sustainable city planning into concrete, implementable insurance policies and motion on the bottom. The Neighborhood Jameel Saudi Basis contributed to facilitating the collaboration between the Labs and Jeddah’s Municipality.
Cities throughout South and West Asia face excessive warmth, water stress and speedy urbanisation. In Jeddah, these dangers are additional compounded by quick city progress alongside the susceptible Pink Sea shoreline. By becoming a member of the accelerator, alongside 32 world cities, Jeddah goals to fast-track climate-responsive city planning to prioritise individuals, the planet, and shared prosperity.
The City Planning Accelerator helps cities in growing extra resilient and sustainable city environments. It gives sensible steering for mayors and metropolis planners on decreasing emissions, adapting to local weather dangers and restoring ecosystems. The programme encourages compact, linked and people-centred cities which can be more healthy, extra resilient, and simpler to navigate.
A key useful resource for taking part cities is the work generated by the Jameel C40 City Planning Local weather Labs, which have guided planning selections benefitting greater than 4 million individuals in Amman, Jordan, and Chennai, India.
The labs have supported policymakers in shaping statutory planning paperwork, zoning rules and funding priorities; offering detailed greenhouse gasoline inventories; local weather threat assessments; and different evidence-based instruments.
This work is predicted to cut back tens of millions of tonnes of emissions over the approaching a long time whereas decreasing publicity to local weather dangers equivalent to excessive warmth and flooding in each Amman and Chennai. The Jameel C40 Labs’ methodologies and insights at the moment are being scaled globally by the accelerator, permitting taking part cities, together with Jeddah, to leverage local weather knowledge, analytical instruments and knowledge-sharing platforms developed by the labs and undertake and replicate confirmed options inside their native contexts.
Jeddah and different cities becoming a member of the accelerator may also utilise the Local weather Motion Information for City Planners, which was developed by the Jameel C40 City Planning Local weather Labs’ co-founders C40 Cities and Neighborhood Jameel, in partnership with UrbanShift. The information, which was launched on the twelfth World City Discussion board in Cairo, Egypt in November 2024, gives a sensible framework for embedding local weather motion throughout all phases of city plan preparation.
Jeddah Municipality said: “Becoming a member of the City Planning Accelerator represents a pivotal step in Jeddah’s journey towards a sustainable and resilient future. By integrating the evidence-based methodologies developed by the Jameel C40 City Planning Local weather Labs, we’re making certain that our metropolis’s speedy progress is matched by a classy, climate-responsive technique. According to Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030, this collaboration permits us to safeguard our distinctive Pink Sea shoreline and improve the standard of life for all residents by city planning that prioritizes individuals, well being, and environmental stewardship.”
Nader Diab, Head of Programmes at Neighborhood Jameel, stated: “We’re happy to see town of Jeddah be part of the City Planning Accelerator. As the house of the Jameel household, it is a vital milestone to us at Neighborhood Jameel and marks a continuation of the work developed by the Jameel C40 City Planning Local weather Labs. By serving to join cities with initiatives such because the accelerator, we goal to bridge the hole between native municipalities and the assets and networks wanted to undertake evidence-informed approaches to sustainable city planning.”
Dr. Could Taibah, a member of the board of Trustees of the Neighborhood Jameel Saudi Basis, added: “Saudi cities are on the entrance strains of local weather motion, as they act as hubs for innovation and collective motion. By becoming a member of this initiative, Neighborhood Jameel Saudi reinforces its dedication to the Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030 objectives of scaling science-led options that defend city lives and livelihoods. Our aim is to make sure that the world’s cities develop, and bridge the hole between world analysis and native influence.”
Hélène Chartier, Director of City Planning and Design at C40, stated: “City planning is local weather motion, and Jeddah’s participation within the Accelerator displays a robust dedication to management. By becoming a member of this community of bold cities, Jeddah will each draw on world finest practices and share its personal invaluable insights on adapting planning approaches and insurance policies to handle local weather challenges. We look ahead to working carefully with the Municipality to construct on the foundations of the Jameel C40 City Planning Local weather Labs and to assist ship a extra sustainable, resilient, and habitable future for all of Jeddah’s residents.”
Over the approaching decade, Jeddah’s engagement within the accelerator will help key priorities beneath its strategic and structural plans, in keeping with Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030, which can information redevelopment, transit-oriented growth and flood threat administration. These plans may also help the event of extra compact and linked neighbourhoods; safety of areas at excessive local weather threat; preservation of land for nature; and the inclusion of inexpensive housing. Technical steering and entry to finest practices by the accelerator and its assets will be sure that these plans are evidence-informed and climate-responsive.
Jeddah joins a variety of different cities taking part within the accelerator, particularly Accra, Cape City, Dar es Salaam, eThekwini/Durban, Freetown, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Tshwane, Jakarta, Quezon Metropolis, Tokyo, Athens, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Istanbul, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Guadalajara, Lima, Medellín, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, Chicago, Portland, Vancouver, Amman and Karachi.
