Track: Energy & Environment

Across cities, the push to reduce emissions is reshaping how buildings and infrastructure are designed, upgraded, and managed. What was once a series of isolated interventions is becoming a more coordinated effort, bringing together buildings, energy systems, and urban infrastructure. Retrofitting existing assets, improving energy performance, and adopting low-carbon materials are now central strategies, alongside the integration of renewables and smarter energy management. At the same time, resilience is moving up the agenda, influencing how infrastructure is designed and maintained. Delivering on these ambitions requires new approaches to financing, governance, and collaboration across the entire urban ecosystem.

Water and waste management are no longer just basic urban services, but essential pillars of environmental stewardship, urban quality of life, and public health. This session explores how cities are managing these systems through more circular, efficient, and integrated approaches that reduce waste, protect water resources, and improve service delivery. Highlighting innovative models and practical strategies that help turn resource management into a driver of resilience, livability, and urban sustainability.

Designing greener cities is not simply an environmental ambition, but a practical urban priority tied to resilience, public health, and quality of life. This session explores how cities are moving from vision to implementation through parks, urban forests, green corridors, and other nature-based solutions, while addressing the governance, financing, and delivery challenges that often shape their impact. Bringing together case-based experiences, the discussion will look at what is working, how cities are embedding green infrastructure into broader urban strategies, and what it takes to scale these interventions in ways that deliver tangible benefits for both people and the urban environment.