The battle for sustainable development will be won and lost in cities and this was one of the key messages of the WBCSD’s Vision 2050­. Urban issues cut across the Vision 2050 Pathways and transforming cities is a major opportunity for business to contribute to achieving the vision.

Now the Urban Infrastructure Initiative (UII) is to launch its findings after a three-year project pioneering a new approach to urban sustainable development. “The UII piloted practical collaboration between business and cities”, explained project director Matthew Lynch. “In effect, the project functioned like a laboratory in which cities explored and tested different solutions options. And the experiments clearly demonstrated the value of early, strategic business involvement in helping cities turn their sustainability visions into reality.”

More efficient, sustainable and resilient Infrastructure is central to the key challenges facing many cities and local governments around the world. A recent report from McKinsey estimates that the world will require $57 trillion in infrastructure investment to 2030 – more than the current value of the existing global infrastructure stock – with the majority of investment needed in urban centers.

The 14 UII member companies have expertise in many infrastructure sectors including buildings, energy, water, mobility and logistics. Co-chair Stéphane Quéré from GDF SUEZ said: “A multi-sector approach was essential because sustainability cuts across functions and specialisms and requires an integrated response.”

Experts from UII companies worked in small teams with 10 cities around the world, identifying an “issues landscape” with each city and creating a portfolio of solutions. City officials then prioritized the solutions. The most attractive opportunities included energy efficiency in buildings, intelligent mobility and logistics, and green economic development. But the heart of the project is the need for integration and UII responded with solutions for improved urban planning and implementation roadmaps. Co-chair Vicente Saisó from Cemex said: “From Kobe to Guadalajara we showed that integrated solutions often bring multiple benefits and city strategies need to cut across traditional boundaries.”

City leaders praised the UII contribution, including Aleksi Randell, Mayor of Turku in Finland: “Sustainable urban development can only be created in cooperation with partners who bring different perspectives and knowledge to the process. Businesses are important partners as they have expertise and solutions to offer.” Co-chair Dr. Torsten Kleiss from Siemens said: “The perspectives of various city departments and the mix of companies really brought the engagements to another level. The mayors saw that benefit: collaboration and a cross-sector approach clearly enhance the development of their sustainability strategy.”

The UII project launches its report on April 7, 2014 at the ICLEI Global Town Hall event in Hannover, Germany and the UN-HABITAT World Urban Forum in Medellin, Colombia. Reports from each city are available at www.wbcsd.org.

The UII cities… … and companies: