We loveNewcastle upon Tyne
Set along the banks of the River Tyne in the north-east of England, Newcastle is a city with industrial heritage, a vibrant cultural scene, and one of the most ambitious climate commitments in the UK. Newcastle built a city wide partnership of local government, businesses, communities, and partners to actively collaborate, share progress and work together toward a net-zero future.
Newcastle has set a bold goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2030, backed by an action plan of over 90 priority actions across energy, transport, and adaptation. Planned around 1.5°C, 2°C, and 4°C climate scenarios, the plan takes a clear-eyed, long-term approach to both cutting emissions and preparing the city for a changing climate.
On nature and green space, Newcastle is part of the North East Community Forest, which planted over 540 hectares of woodland between 2021 and 2025. A bold new Forest Plan running to 2050 sets out a long-term vision for trees, woodlands, and hedgerows across the wider region. A tree policy is also working toward 20% canopy cover across the city by 2050.
Flood resilience is a growing priority. The Blue Green Newcastle project, launched in 2023, is using sustainable drainage to protect the city centre from surface water flooding, while improving biodiversity and public space at the same time.
Transport is changing too, with a new Movement Strategy to 2045 published. The city has seen improvements to air quality as a result of the city’s air quality action plan.
Newcastle upon Tyne on the move, shaping a net-zero future one step at a time.
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#WeLoveNewcastle
How it works
Learn more about We Love Cities.
How it works
Three steps to making our most lovable cities more sustainable.
All your love counts
Visit the city’s page and click the vote button.
Submit an improvement suggestion.
Use your city’s hashtag on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Voting opens next time
October 31, 2026
Your photos, videos, votes and ideas count!
And the city with the
most of these wins.
Each city will receive
your ideas
Thank you for making
it even better.
Why we love cities
Over 50% of people live in cities – generating over 70% of our climate footprint
But cities also offer an immense opportunity to create better places to live while contributing to a healthier
planet. Through better transport, green buildings, harnessing the power of nature, wasting less and loving
more, cities can lead the way to a climate-friendly future.
We love to get around
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.
Learn more
We love the power of nature
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.
Learn more
We love green buildings
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.
Learn more
We love clean living
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.
Learn more
We love to eat
From top restaurants to cool street stalls,
food is a big part of what defines a city
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.
Learn more
What’s it all about
Building a future in which people live in harmony with nature
Global engagement
We Love Cities has reached over 450 million people globally since its inception in 2013. Over 150 cities have participated, with over 14 million citizen engagements and more than 200,000 citizen improvement suggestions shared to city officials.
Run by WWF
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.
To thrive and prosper
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!
faq
Common questions
- What is the We Love Cities campaign?
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:
Inspire and raise awareness for the sustainability progress being made in cities.
Give the general public an opportunity to celebrate, vote and upgrade their city through making suggestions to decision makers.
Reward communities and strengthen the bond between the public and decision makers.
- 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?
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?
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.
