Over half of the human population lives in cities today. While urban spaces are essential to the world economy, they produce 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is probably because most cities weren’t built to be sustainable in the first place.
Sustainable cities are places where innovation meets initiative to reach environmental goals. In doing so, these areas grow in ways that address social issues related to jobs, health, education, safety, and quality of life. By taking on urban challenges holistically, sustainability becomes a powerful tool for tackling social inequities.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the sustainability question. Instead, policymakers must adopt creative approaches to deal with the individual issues different cities face. One such initiative is the IE Climathon 2024, which brought students together to develop innovative urban solutions through public policy.
Practical ways to make your city more sustainable
Cities around the world face many common issues on the path to urban sustainability. For example, energy is one major point of contention as urban areas grapple with finding more eco-friendly ways both to produce and use it.
According to the UN, modern-day cities use up to 75% of all energy derived from natural sources. Reducing energy consumption, making existing systems more efficient and changing individual behaviors are just a few measures that can be implemented to make cities more sustainable. Reusing and recycling waste energy can also help move the needle, as well as complementing traditional energy supplies with more renewable sources.
Besides ensuring energy efficiency, cities can become more sustainable by implementing simple, practical strategies such as:
Urban greening
Adding parks and green spaces in urban areas reduces temperatures and naturally captures carbon. Innovations like green walls and roofs are both beautiful and functional, mitigating the “urban heat island” effect. Big cities like New York and Singapore have already proven that small changes, like planting more trees, can reduce city temperatures by up to 2°C.
Rethinking transportation
A major marker of sustainability in cities is the number of private cars on the streets. Minimizing car usage by developing public transport systems and promoting carbon-neutral transportation, like walking or cycling, helps urban centers move towards sustainability.
Copenhagen is a good example of this effect. Denmark’s capital city has encouraged cycling by prioritizing bikers over cars at traffic lights. Today, the average Dane cycles about 1.4 kilometers a day, and over 40,000 cyclists cross the Dronning Louises Bro bridge daily.
“Passive” houses
Experts say that at least 39% of all urban carbon emissions come from buildings. Designing or retrofitting more efficient structures contributes to sustainable cities. The German Passive House design shows how this can be done, blending comfort and sustainability to innovate the built environment.
What is a Climathon?
A Climathon is a global movement that supports independently organized events that bridge the gap between climate change and innovation. These hackathon-style events take place over 12 to 48 hours and challenge participants to collaborate in solving local climate challenges. Each Climathon aims to raise climate awareness, strengthen local ecosystems, and inspire innovative projects that foster climate action
Since 2015, over 1,000 Climathons have been held around the world. They’ve become popular events at top universities, allowing students who are passionate about positive change to tackle climate issues. Previous Climathons have been hosted at institutions like Centennial College in Canada, the University of Galway in Ireland and, of course, IE University in Spain, among others.
Innovation meets sustainability at IE Climathon 2024
Participants in the IE Climathon 2024 gathered at Fundación Metropoli’s ECOBOX—a building inspired by creativity and a sustainable future—setting the perfect tone for the day’s challenge.
The winning team comprised several Dual Degree in Economics & International Relations students. Guillermo Mobayed Caballé, Lilli Boersch and Noor Ayoub, to name a few. They were joined by Nitin Jangir, a master’s student, and exchange students Lucy Charlotte Hembury-Gunn.
Together, these students presented a project titled “Comunidad Salud,” inspired by extreme global weather events, like the recent flooding in Valencia. Guillermo spoke about his team’s commitment to sustainability, feasibility, and relevance. Their proposal balanced sustainable solutions with technological advancements, incorporating the use of “machine learning algorithms to verify the data” they proposed to crowdsource in real time.
Ultimately, Guillermo spoke to his team’s values-driven approach to sustainability that inspired their winning design.
“To me, sustainability is related to fairness with developing countries and the environment, including animals and plants. It does not necessarily involve foregoing, but shifting to a value system in which we become less materialistic, better appreciate what we have and shift our focus to more valuable things, such as one’s character and sense of purpose.”
Celebrating sustainability at IE University
Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do here at IE University. We believe that now, more than ever, the greatest young minds need to be turned towards sustainability. By preparing purposeful students like Guillermo and his team to excel on global stages, we’re creating future leaders who will leave a measurable, positive impact.
Ready to work towards more sustainable cities? Take the next step and gain the foundational knowledge you need to drive positive change at IE School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs. Learn more