Cities around the world are leading the charge against climate change. Initiatives to reduce air pollution, embrace renewable energy, and build climate-resilient infrastructure are gaining traction. But these efforts have a critical piece missing: housing.
Buildings and construction are responsible for 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, with housing a significant contributor at 17%. To meet the climate goals set in the Paris Agreement, metropolises need to dramatically shift the way they fund, plan and build their communities and transportation systems.
As cities attract talent and economic activities, available land for new housing diminishes — becoming scarcer and more expensive. This results in low-density or informal developments in city peripheries, which can lack access to funding for public transport therefore straining essential services. Consequently, greenhouse gas emissions increase, worsening air quality and deepening socioeconomic inequalities.
Adopting a metropolitan perspective can contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. How? By promoting coordination and collaboration between municipalities to optimise land use; planning multimodal transport systems to reduce car dependency; preserving, restoring and building green and blue infrastructure, and building essential social and cultural services closer to housing.
To solve the climate crisis, city and metropolitan governments have to solve the housing crisis.
At our upcoming Board of Directors meeting in São Paulo (Brazil), our members will take part in a Policy Debate: At Home in the Metropolis. The debate will explore how global mayors are ensuring decent and affordable housing for all.
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