Innovation Observatory for Sustainable Cities (IOSC)

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by Cidades Sustentáveis, Centro de Gestão e Estudos Estratégicos

Observatório de Inovação para Cidades Sustentáveis

OICS

The Innovation Observatory for Sustainable Cities (Observatório de Inovação para Cidades Sustentáveis, in Portuguese) is an initiative within the scope of CITinova, a multilateral project carried out by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI), with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implementation of the United Nations Environment Program (UN Environment). It acts as a collaborative platform for mapping and disseminating innovative urban solutions contextualized to the Brazilian national territory through city-regions typologies.

The objective is to connect public managers, civil society, companies, entrepreneurs and universities in favour of the urban agenda, creating alternatives for the transition of cities, especially the Brazilian ones, towards sustainability. To this end, this Observatory prepared a bank of solutions for sustainable cities, a map of typologies and a bank of co-creators (solution providers).

Last update: 28 Oct 2021

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Context

Challenges addressed

Desertification

Drought

Erratic rainfall

Extreme heat

Floods

Increasing temperatures

Land and Forest degradation

Loss of Biodiversity

Conflicting uses / cumulative impacts

Erosion

Ecosystem loss

Inefficient management of financial resources

Infrastructure development

Lack of technical capacity

Lack of public and decision maker’s awareness

Poor monitoring and enforcement

Lack of infrastructure

Poor governance and participation

Lack of food security

Unemployment / poverty

Scale of implementation

Local

Subnational

National

Multi-national

Global

Ecosystems

Area-wide development

Buildings and facilities

Connective infrastructure, networks and corridors

Green roofs / Green walls

Green spaces (parks, gardens, urban forests)

Urban wetlands

Theme

Adaptation

Disaster risk reduction

Mitigation

Connectivity / transboundary conservation

Sustainable financing

Gender mainstreaming

Legal & policy frameworks

Cities and infrastructure

Health and human wellbeing

Peace and human security

Sustainable livelihoods

Infrastructure maintenance

Flood management

Land management

Terrestrial spatial planning

Urban planning

Watershed management

Tourism

Transport

Water provision and management

Pollution

Renewable energies

Waste management

Wastewater treatment

Location

Edifício Parque Cidade Corporate, SCS Qd. 9, Lt. C, Brasília, Federal District 70719, Brazil

South America

Impacts

Solutions are divided into six different themes: low carbon mobility and access to the city; renewable, decentralized and efficient energy; low carbon and social interest built environment; solid waste and efficient treatment; water and sanitation; and nature-based solutions.

As the Observatory's objective is to connect public managers established in Brazilian municipalities with solutions engaged in responding to local socio-environmental challenges, the local governments can benefit, when having access to a bank of solutions, from finding different arrangements and possibilities to address previously identified issues, in addition to learning about successful experiences in similar geographical and socio-economic contexts. It is even possible to establish contact with those responsible for the execution and implementation of solutions.

In this sense, as it is characterized as a facilitating tool for decision making, the Observatory brings as economic benefits the reduction of costs of implementing the necessary actions to minimize the effects of negative environmental impacts. Regarding social and environmental benefits, we can consider them as intrinsic to the solutions and cases present on the platform.