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Our Pathways, Our Approach

ICLEI engages at the local to global levels, shaping policy and sparking action to transform urban environments worldwide. We build connections across levels of government, sectors and stakeholder groups, sparking city-to-city, city-to-region, local-to-global and local-to-national connections. By linking subnational, national and global actors, policies, commitments and actions, ICLEI strengthens action at all levels, in support of sustainable urban development.

As a compass to direct our actions in a rapidly changing world and to transform our cities, towns and regions, ICLEI drives action through five critical, strategic and interlinked pathways: equitable development, zero emission development, nature-based development, circular development and resilient development. These pathways are the basis for sustainable urban development.

At the local and regional levels, ICLEI drives change along these five interconnected pathways that intersect all sectors in our communities. They provide a framework for designing integrated solutions that balance the patterns of human life and the built and natural environments. They encourage holistic thinking to ensure that ICLEI, as a network of local and regional governments and global experts, optimizes our impact.

By following these interconnected pathways, cities, towns and regions worldwide can advance toward the sustainable future they have envisioned for themselves by developing integrated solutions and creating change across whole urban systems.

These pathways were released as part of the ICLEI São Paulo Strategic Vision 2024-2030 — our pledge to make sustainable development the only model for development in the urban 21st century. The pathways were originally conceived at the ICLEI World Congress 2018 in Montréal, as a part of the ICLEI Montréal Commitment and Strategic Vision 2018-2024.

While an activity or implemented project may be primarily driven by a single or few pathways, the goal is always to implement projects and initiatives in such ways that they generate impact across all five pathways. We design our work to integrate as many pathways as possible. When more pathways are integrated into any given activity, such as a project, partnership or initiative, a greater degree of change can occur.

Nature-Based Development Pathway

The nature-based development pathway protects and enhances biodiversity and urban ecosystems, which underpin key aspects of local economies and the well-being and resilience of our communities. This pathway prioritizes healthy local environments, in which air, water, soil and all natural resources that sustain life and health are protected and nurtured. Nature-based development fosters the restoration of our broken connection with nature and the planet while respecting and enhancing biodiversity and the integrity of ecosystems in and around our cities to create more resilient cities and regions where people can live in harmony with nature. Ecosystems form the bedrock of our local economies and play a crucial role in supporting the social integrity, wellbeing and resilience of our communities.
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Circular Development Pathway

Circular development transitions from our current linear economic model of ‘take, make, waste’ and moves to an economy where infrastructure, products, components, materials, and nutrients are maintained at their highest value for as long as possible. This systemic approach supports a sustainable urban environment by minimizing resource consumption and waste production while creating opportunities to unlock economic value and growth, increase social equity and responsibility, and enhance the natural environment. This pathway encourages equitable access to resources and creates closed-loop urban and peri-urban systems. It supports new local economies that are productive and not extractive, where resources are exchanged and not wasted.
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Resilient Development Pathway

Resilient development anticipates, prevents, absorbs and recovers from shocks and stresses, in particular those brought about by rapid environmental, technological, social and demographic change, and improves essential basic response structures and functions. Resilient development makes adaptation and risk-prevention a core part of all municipal strategies and prepares for new risks and impacts, taking into account the rights and needs of vulnerable sections of our society. Resilient development continuously strengthens essential systems through a transparent and inclusive approach that enhances trust in public institutions. Resilient development also aims to diminish socioeconomic inequality and urban risk by facilitating effective, targeted, and interconnected actions addressing both objectives simultaneously. The core strategy involves elevating ambition for climate and disaster risk action planning in cities to mobilize a diverse set of stakeholders for concerted action.
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Equitable Development Pathway

Equitable development seeks to foster just, inclusive and happy communities in line with the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda. Equitable development addresses the systemic and historical causes of injustice and exclusion by identifying and acting on power imbalances, dismantling existing spatial, social and environmental inequalities, and preventing new and unintended patterns of inequality and exclusion from arising because of environmental solutions. Equitable development also safeguards the natural support systems for human life, ensuring that the natural and built environment in and around our communities improves livability, safety, and health. This pathway acknowledges the diversity of local and regional conditions and the critical importance of taking community-led approaches as a means of addressing diverse needs, challenges and aspirations. Finally, equitable development values trust, care, transparency and solidarity as the foundation for local and regional environmental action.
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Zero Emission Development Pathway

The Zero Emission Development pathway curbs climate change, creates new economic opportunities and improves the health of human and natural systems. Zero Emission Development supports achieving climate neutrality across the local territory and for government operations and infrastructure through integrated climate action. Zero emission development follows a clear roadmap to achieve net-zero greenhouse gasses (including short-lived climate pollutants) and resilience through localized solutions for mitigation and the sustainable energy transition, prioritizing a people-centered and just transition. This is enabled through accessing blended finance and using innovative finance mechanisms to secure the necessary support and investment.
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Join our efforts to build a sustainable urban future

Become part of our global network advancing along these five interconnected pathways.

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