Pilot project supporting Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative

The Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) as part of the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative (CSCI) and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is delighted to be undertaking a pilot programme focused on multi-level multi-stakeholder approaches to sustainable urbanisation.

Commonwealth 2050 urbanising trends

By 2050, city populations are projected to grow by 2.5 billion people, with 95% of this growth concentrated in African and Asian cities most vulnerable to climate change. Commonwealth countries alone will account for nearly half of this increase, doubling their urban population from 1 billion to 2 billion within the next 25 years. Cities already generate over 80% of global GDP, making their resilience critical for economic growth, social inclusion, and climate action. Yet rapid urbanisation and escalating climate impacts are outpacing the capacity of governments and institutions to respond.

CSCI partner organisations

Against this backdrop, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), Commonwealth Engineers’ Council (CEC), and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), working alongside The King’s Foundation and the Government of Rwanda, established the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative (CSCI). Since 2020, CSCI has worked to strengthen policy focus and multi-level governance, to advance the Commonwealth Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation tabled by the Government of Rwanda in Kigali and endorsed by Commonwealth Heads of Government at CHOGM 2022.

Building on this foundation, the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Coalition (CSCC) has been launched as a pilot programme to advance the Declaration and deepen collaboration among CSCI partners. Funded by FCDO the CSCC will promote learning and knowledge exchange among governments, policymakers, professionals, and practitioners working on sustainable urban development, while supporting capacity building and practical action at national and sub-national levels.

Action Groups on transdisciplinary areas

As part of this initiative, CSCC will convene three transdisciplinary Action Groups focused on Housing, Urban Finance, and Integrated Planning. These groups will bring together a diverse range of stakeholders – including member states, planners, engineers, architects, policymakers, subject experts, development finance practitioners, and community representatives – from across the Commonwealth to better understand the needs of member states as they work to address the challenges of rapid urbanisation and climate change in an inclusive and sustainable way; drawing on lessons from across the Commonwealth and highlighting shared policy priorities to support and strengthen implementation. To complement these efforts, ACU has established a Sustainable Urbanisation Expert Group comprising representatives from ACU member universities. This group will explore the cross-cutting issue of skills development in the three thematic areas, with activities centred on the role of higher education in teaching and practitioner training for the built environment.

CLGF Chair on effective urbanisation

Mayor Bernard Wagner, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum reflected :  ‘Managing rapid urbanisation and climate change is an imperative for the Commonwealth as it works towards democratic, economic and environmental resilience. Effective urbanisation requires actors and stakeholders from across different parts and levels of government – from the professions, from academia, civil society and the private sector – to work together to create liveable towns and cities for all,  and the Commonwealth network is well placed to show leadership in collaborative governance and to support learning and policy making to enable inclusive urban development across all 56 member states.’