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Sustainability Needs Cities

Cities are as challenging and complex as sustainability itself. Their streets, slums, boulevards, science parks, business districts, shopping centers and suburbs offer numerous environmental, economic and social challenges, but also the promise of novel solutions. As such they may provide a compelling frame through which to understand and further drive sustainability.

Our latest research paper, Citystates: How cities are vital to the future of sustainability, sponsored by Ford Motor Company and produced in partnership with GreenBiz identifies and explores seven characteristics or “states” underpinning the potential of cities to drive sustainable development, and explores the opportunities for business to both aid and benefit from that potential.

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Citystates at Verge

SustainAbility is very pleased to be partnering with GreenBiz on Citystates, which will feature at its series of VERGE conferences this year. The first, in Washington DC, this week will draw on the thinking of our Citystates paper in a panel which will explore the potential for global metropolitan areas to catalyze sustainability on a wider scale.

In our Changing Tack column on GreenBiz, report authors Chris Guenther and Mohammed Al-Shawaf stimulate the debate by putting forward the question:  how might business and others come together to strengthen and leverage the unique characteristics and advantages of cities to accelerate progress on sustainability?

Read more | Learn more about VERGE

Reflecting on Rio and the Need for Empowerment

The latest in The Regeneration Project’s weekly series of videos featuring the most sustainable development pioneers from the past few decades are now available on Guardian Sustainable Business.

Nitin Desai, Bill Ford, Yolanda Kakabadse, Maurice Strong and others highlight the historic nature of the original Rio Earth Summit, while acknowledging its shortcomings.

On the heels of International Women’s Day, Vandana Shiva, Lester Brown, and Achim Steiner emphasize the need to empower all citizens to be part of the decisions that affect the next generation.

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