Explore the complete Our Urban Future webinar series, a five-part peer-learning initiative co-organized by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the City Diplomacy Lab.
As climate targets are set at the international level while delivery happens on the ground, Our Urban Future brings together city and regional government representatives from every continent to discuss how they turn global commitments into local action. Each session pairs a thematic focus — climate finance, mobility, food systems, extreme heat, and buildings and construction — with a structured, comparative dialogue among peer cities, moderated by Dr. Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, Founding Director of the City Diplomacy Lab.
Between December 2025 and August 2026, the series has convened officials from more than a dozen cities and regions across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East, illustrating both the diversity of urban contexts worldwide and the governance challenges that connect them.
Delivering Local Climate Action: Insights from COP30
December 1, 2025
The opening session reflected on the outcomes of COP30 in Belém, where cities and regions achieved unprecedented recognition, and examined how that recognition can be turned into concrete implementation. City and regional leaders discussed multilevel governance, the integration of local priorities into Nationally Determined Contributions, and the persistent gap in climate finance reaching municipalities directly.
Cities and regions represented: Douala (Cameroon), Strasbourg and Bordeaux (France), the State of Maharashtra (India), Oslo (Norway), and Yokohama (Japan).
Driving Change in Urban Mobility: How Digitalization Is Accelerating Low-Carbon Transport Across Cities
February 26, 2026
The second session explored how digital tools can accelerate the shift toward low-carbon, people-centered mobility. Drawing on UNEP’s ACCESS program, city practitioners discussed data-driven planning, avoid–shift–improve strategies, and the role of transparent monitoring in unlocking climate finance for public transport.
Cities represented: Mexico City (Mexico), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and Buenos Aires (Argentina).
Cities and the Future of Food: Circularity, Equity, and Resilience
June 29, 2026
The third session examined how cities can prevent and reduce food waste as a lever for more circular, equitable, and resilient food systems. Panelists shared concrete practices in surplus redistribution, decentralized composting, and the formal integration of informal waste workers, linking local action to UNEP’s Food Waste Breakthrough initiative launched at COP30.
Cities represented: London (United Kingdom), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).
Beating the Heat Together: City Diplomacy in a Warming World
July 29, 2026
The fourth session addressed extreme heat as one of the fastest-growing urban risks, presenting the UNEP-led Beat the Heat Implementation Drive and the 50 Cities at 50°C campaign. City representatives compared approaches to urban greening, shade planning, and heat-risk mapping, and discussed how to reach the most vulnerable residents.
Cities represented: Antalya (Turkey), Barcelona (Spain), Lagos (Nigeria), and Singapore.
From Global Targets to Local Delivery: Multilevel Governance for Sustainable Buildings and Construction
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
The fifth and final session of the series turned to the buildings and construction sector. A three-city panel discussed inclusive planning, sustainable materials, and innovative financing arrangements connecting local, national, and international partners, including financial institutions.
Cities represented: Mumbai (India), Kisumu County (Kenya), and Toronto (Canada).
[Recording coming soon]
The Lab’s Peer-Learning Webinar Series
Our Urban Future is the fourth peer-learning webinar series co-piloted by the City Diplomacy Lab, following:
- Cities and Climate Solutions (two seasons), with Columbia University
- Cities and Social Solutions, with Columbia University
- Urban Innovation to Achieve Just and Sustainable Cities, with GIZ
Published on August 7, 2026. Updated on August 27, 2026.