Argentina
Australia
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Denmark
Ecuador
Finland
France
Ghana
Guatemala
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Ivory Coast
Japan
Malaysia
Mexico
New Zealand
Norway
Peru
Philippines
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
Turkey
UK
USA
Vietnam
We love to get around
Our participating cities are transforming the way people travel. For sustainable cities, improving the way people get around also means reducing the amount of energy we use while improving air quality and health. Transportation accounts for 25% of global energy
use so cities are finding ways to change that. Car-free and car-restricted areas, electrification, more public transport, promoting cycling and pedestrian-friendly streets are just some of the better ways to travel that will lead to a healthier environment.
We love the power of nature
Our participating cities love the power of nature and are becoming hotspots for nature based solutions and renewable energy solutions. Right now, city dwellers are responsible for over 70% of our planet’s energy-related carbon emissions. But by becoming trailblazers for renewables,
cities have the opportunity to change that. From solar water heating, geothermal heating, biogas, wind farms, solar electricity and smart grids, renewables don’t affect the air we breathe, our water supplies and our climate system. And that means healthy, happier people.
We love green buildings
Our participating cities are at the forefront of improving the places that we live and work. Buildings define the character of our cities. But it’s not just about what they look like, it’s about how they work too. Buildings use one third of the world’s energy, and in bigger
cities they account for up to 80% of carbon emissions. By championing new designs, incentives and standards, cities are leading the way to more energy-efficient homes, and inspiring a global trend where new buildings become energy producers rather than energy consumers.
We love clean living
By wasting less and loving more, our participating cities are leading the way to smart waste solutions. Like turning waste into a resource. Biogas, district heating, compost, fertilizer, irrigation, and recycled goods all come from waste and
waste water. And making these resources creates jobs too. By minimizing and trapping waste for material and energy, smarter urban waste management improves the economy, the environment and promotes clean living – all at the same time.
We love good food
From top restaurants to cool street stalls, food is a big part of what defines a city. It’s also becoming a big part of the sustainability journey. Climate-smart food procurement and the promotion of more veggie based diets addresses food’s climate
impact as well as health issues; urban farming is improving food security; while hospitals and schools are recycling packaging and composting leftovers so nothing goes to waste. The more cities use the power of food, the better cities will become.
We Love Cities has reached over 200 million people globally since its inception in 2013. Over 150 cities have participated, with over 10 million citizen engagements and more than 100,000 citizen improvement suggestions shared to city officials.
The initiative is run by WWF – the world’s leading nature conservation organization — passionate about building a future in which people live in harmony with nature.
As a key aspect of that mission, we support the creation and development of cities that enable all people to thrive and prosper while respecting the ecological limits of our one and only planet!
What is the We Love Cities campaign? AnswerHide
We Love Cities is a public engagement campaign that allows people across the world to express support for sustainable urban development by voting for their favorite finalist from WWFs One Planet City Challenge and posting improvement suggestions for these cities. The One Planet City Challenge is the world’s largest and longest running city challenge. You can read more about it here. With the We Love Cities campaign we aim to:
Does the number of votes a city receives in the We Love Cities campaign have an influence on the selection of the national and global winners of the One Planet City Challenge? AnswerHide
No. The We Love Cities campaign has no influence on the outcome of the One Planet City Challenge (OPCC). The OPCC winners are selected through a jury process based on the data reported by the cities on the internationally recognized unified reporting platform hosted by ICLEI and CDP.
Why are there no cities from my country involved? AnswerHide
The cities profiled here are all finalists in WWF’s biennial One Planet City Challenge.
If you would like to suggest your city for the One Planet City Challenge, you can do so on this form here.
If your country is included in the One Planet City Challenge but your city is not profiled here, either your city chose not to participate in the Challenge or it participated but didn’t make it past the pre-selection process. In either case please encourage your mayor or public officials to inspire the world by developing and reporting really ambitious climate action plans next year.
Some of these cities do not look very sustainable at all, why are they included? AnswerHide
Cities with ambitious climate actions and strategies need to be highlighted and celebrated so they can inspire other cities to follow their lead. The inclusion of cities in the campaign does not mean that they are 100% sustainable. WWF believes that no city in the world can currently be seen as perfectly sustainable. We select the most ambitious cities in each country for the We Love Cities campaign.
The One Planet City Challenge has recruited cities from across the globe, all of whom have their own particular local circumstances and varying capabilities to act on climate change and sustainability issues. Thus, the pre-selection process has taken these local aspects into consideration and has put forward cities that have begun developing ambitious actions and strategies.
All cities still have a long way to go before they can claim that all their residents live high quality lives while equitably sharing our planet’s biological capacity to sustain them. But there are cities that are taking strong sustainability actions that can play a significant role in driving the transition towards a renewable energy-based and sustainable future. And we want to celebrate these cities!
Will my vote really make a difference to improving sustainability in a city? AnswerHide
Your vote and all improvement suggestions received will be shared with your city representatives. In previous campaigns city representatives expressed a great interest in this feedback and many used it for the basis of continued dialogue with their citizens.
Your vote is also positive acknowledgement for your city’s action on climate change and sustainability which in turn encourages them to do even more to improve the lifestyles of their most important stakeholder – you!
Why are the themes picked so important? AnswerHide
As meeting places, creative hotpots and centers of financial, social and technical innovations, cities can drive progress in many areas. We wanted to focus on the areas where the biggest social benefits and climate wins can be made: transport, energy, housing, waste and food.
For example, cities can achieve huge emission reductions and increase quality of life through strategies such as car-free and car-restricted areas, electrification, expanding public transport, promoting cycling, making the city more compact and pedestrian-friendly, and developing areas where sustainable transport is available. Climate-smart food procurement and promotion of more veggie-based diets addresses food’s climate impact as well as health issues.
Closed-loop solutions and cradle-to-cradle approaches minimizes waste and taps it for material and energy. Smarter urban waste management can improve the economy, the environment and people’s quality of life simultaneously. Cities can refurbish buildings and support local renewable energy thereby eliminating a fossil-fuel dependency and protecting their economy against high energy costs.
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