Now is the Time for Greener Cities

 Calling all Cities to Enter the AIPH World Green City Awards Today!

 

AIPH proudly presents the AIPH World Green City Awards, the flagship initiative of their Green City programme.

 

AIPH is the world’s champion for the power of plants. The inaugural edition of the AIPH World Green City Awards 2022 recognises city-led initiatives relying on a greater use of plants and nature to create better and greener city environments – helping to fulfil local aspirations for improved economic, social and environmental resilience. With the deadline for submission of entries on 14^th March 2022, AIPH invites all cities, large and small, to showcase their “living green” and demonstrate that they are champions for the power of plants. 

 

“Plants are at the core of stabilizing our ecosystems and humanity has only recently begun to understand the multitude of benefits they can provide”- Mr. Pavel Dostal, CEO at GreenVille & Vice President of the EFB

 

 

Cities are only a few short steps away from submitting an entry. Registering a city profile starts the simple process and gives you access to the online portal to compile your entry and make your final submission online. A step-by-step guide to entering the AIPH World Green City Awards contains all the information cities need to progress along this exciting journey. There is still time to join the growing number of leading cities that are actively preparing their entries and reap the benefits of this exciting opportunity. Show the world how plants and nature have transformed your city.

 

“Local and regional governments have a pivotal role to play in developing nature-based solutions and inclusion of plants in an urban environment. The Awards will be the moment to celebrate those success stories from our members around the world”- Ms. Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)

 

The AIPH World Green City Awards are designed to celebrate and champion ambitious nature-orientated approaches to city design and operation. The 2022 edition is offered in six categories, with awards presented to the best entry in each category, and with one overall AIPH World Green City winner. Cities can submit multiple entries in more than one category to increase their chances of being chosen as a winner by the esteemed technical panel and jury. There is no cost for cities to register or to enter the Awards, and there are many benefits, which you can read about here.  

 

AIPH has partnered with leading organisations and city networks to bring the AIPH World Green City Awards to life: the first global cities awards where plants and nature are the core focus. The Urban Biodiversity Hub is thrilled to be a proud partner among this prestigious group. 

“Now is the time to rebuild our relationship with our planet. Cities are a critical part of this process. With more than half of humanity living in cities, and well over half of our consumption driven by urban systems, cities must boldly commit to transforming harmful processes and reconnecting people with nature. We must start in our communities where we live every day, and cities are the right scale to demonstrate meaningful action and lead global transformation.” – Ms. Jennifer Rae Pierce, head of UBHub’s partnership and engagement team.

As a global urban community, we stand together at a critical moment in the history of our planet. As our cities grow exponentially and nature continues to diminish at unprecedented rates, now is our time to take ambitious action and transform our cities into greener, healthier, and more liveable places where both humans and nature thrive in harmony.

 

The solutions to the complex challenges that our cities face come from nature. There has never been a better time to harness the power of plants. As we stand together, united by a common vision, the AIPH World Green City Awards aims to enable accelerated action by cities, both in 2022, the critical year for nature, and in the coming Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.

 

The AIPH World Green City Awards are well within reach for all cities that are committed to shaping a greener future. AIPH and partners call on cities from around the world to act now. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to lead the way and inspire a global movement for greener cities. For more information or to enter, click here.

 

By entering the AIPH World Green City Awards, everyone wins- Cities, People, and Planet.

 

 

Please read the Frequently Asked Questions. The AIPH Green City team is available to assist cities every step of the way. For assistance or support, please contact greencity@aiph.org. 

Follow AIPH on: Instagram: @aiphglobal; LinkedIn: @AIPH; Facebook: @theAIPH; Twitter @AIPHglobal

Urban Nature Index

In January 2021, the IUCN Urban Alliance selected UBHub to develop their new Urban Nature Index (UNI). The UBHub consultancy team, Pablo Arturo Lopez-Guijosa, Jennifer Rae Pierce, Michael Halder and Mika Tan, worked diligently and skillfully over the next few months to deliver this new and comprehensive index for urban nature which has been adopted into IUCN’s major goals for 2030.

The Urban Nature Index is a new digital product for cities to self-assess their ecological impact at the local, regional and global levels using a set of 30 indicators grouped under the six themes of Consumption Drivers, Human Pressures, Habitat Status, Species Status, Nature’s Contributions to People and Governance Responses. By completing their self-assessment through the use of the index, cities will not only better understand their impacts on nature but will help them set science-based targets to improve upon those indicators where they may be lacking and to continually monitor their progress accordingly. By doing so, the UNI will serve to enhance environmental transparency and accountability, facilitate goal setting and catalyze action. The index is intended to complement the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity and the work Science-based Target Network among others.

To develop the UNI, the UBHub consulting team undertook a literature review, deployed a broad consultation survey with cities around the world, and conducted pilot testing sessions with the cities of Saanich (Canada), Mexico City (Mexico), Curridabat (Costa Rica), Paris (France), Lagos (Nigeria), and Singapore.

At the September 2021 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille, France, the UBHub team unveiled the UNI to an audience of delegates attending both in-person and virtually. At the conclusion of the WCC, the IUCN released the Marseille Manifesto which, among other action items, included a commitment by IUCN Members and partners to “... expand universal access to high-quality green spaces and to enhance urban biodiversity in 100 cities, representing around 100 million citizens by 2025, and assessing their impact according to the IUCN Urban Nature Index.” 

Moreover, in her Statement for World Cities Day in 2021, Ms Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention of Biological Diversity acknowledged the Urban Nature Index: “We need effective metrics of impacts and dependencies such as […] the IUCN Urban Nature Index.” This is recognition of the quality of work of our team and we look forward to helping IUCN achieve this goal. 

To know more about the Urban Nature Index, please visit the link below.

The IUCN Urban Nature Index, A tool for measuring the ecological performance of cities (Updated: 9 February 2022)