Integrated, Holistic Approach to Planning and Collaborative Governance for More Climate-Resilient Cities

Parallel Conference Session developed and organised by Dr. Alkhani on behalf of UN-Habitat’s Planners for Climate Action Working Groups, 12 October 2021. At the conference Innovate4Cities organised by Un-Habitat and Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, 11-15 October 2021.

The theme of the session is Alkhani's core research at the University of Westminster. The theme was voted by P4CA working groups for the Innovate4Cities Conference. The session was aimed to provide input into Cop26.

The session involved other leading academics including: Prof. Lindsay Bremner, Head of Research at the University of Westminster.
Victoria Lawson*, London Borough of Hounslow.
Prof. Shuaib Lwasa, Makerere University, Uganda.
Prof. Francesco Musco*, University IUAV of Venice.
Prof. Barbara Norman, University of Canberra.
Dr. Philip Rode, London School of Economics.
Dr. Giulio Verdini, University of Westminster.

* could not join for technical reasons

In the session Dr. Alkhani shared outcomes from her research on sustainable development and climate adaptations and mitigations and students’ work from modules she led at UoW addressing neighbourhoods along the Thames Corridor. These modules are: The Dynamic City, MAUD and Sustainability and Environment, BADC.

The session provided input to Cop26. Prof. Barbara Norman was the session reporter.

The session consisted of two parts:

The first part ‘London as a Climate Laboratory’ focused on the case study London with a presentation by Dr. Alkhani and input from London-based colleagues from the University of Westminster.

Alkhani's presentation also accounted for the collaboration between the University of Westminster and the London Borough of Hounslow in the framework of Green Recovery strategies through modules led by Dr. Alkhani.

The second part was a panel discussion hosted by Dr. Alkhani inviting the above international panel of experts to share their knowledge about different contexts. The panel commented on the case study and the relevance of the integrated approach, its opportunities, challenges and limitations considering different city contexts, world regions and multiple scales. It commented on strengthening knowledge-sharing and contextualised transfer and underlined the urgency of addressing climate change.

The 2 part session supports an integrated approach to planning and climate-resilient agenda that encourages innovation & interaction at all scales and across sectors involving ideas of circularity, renewable energy and aware ecological practices and adaptations of the build-environment and urban design and smart approaches. This approach requires institutional and governance innovation with new ways to engage communities, businesses and administrations and encourage entrepreneurialism, where educational institutions play a role. This approach, Dr. Alkhani advocates, contributes to more inclusive, just, connected and economically revived cities turning climate adaptation and mitigation into drivers for shared benefit post-Covid. The session discusses challenges to this vision and how to share knowledge across scales and regions.