Subnational actors are on the frontlines of managing the response to climate change, as they balance both the short-term imperative to protect residents and manage climate-related disasters, as well as the long-term challenges to make cities more low-carbon, resilient and inclusive. Cities and regions are major investors in the infrastructure that will be the foundation of a low-carbon, inclusive future, accounting for almost 60% of public investment in OECD countries. They will also manage the impacts of such investments over the longer term — either benefitting from investments in more resilient infrastructure, or paying the economic, environmental and human price for those that are not climate-proofed. Indeed, climate change damages are poised to have a disproportionate impact on populations that are already vulnerable: for instance, low-income households often have increased exposure to climate risks and hazards and a higher susceptibility to damages from climate change; they also have a lower capacity to recover from damages, as they often lack access to insurance systems and safety nets.

With this context in mind, many local policies for climate change and environmental sustainability are applying explicit equity and social inclusion lenses. How are cities approaching this dual challenge? What dimensions of inclusion are prioritised in cities’ plans? In what areas and policy sectors have cities identified opportunities for win-wins between climate and inclusion objectives, as well as trade-offs that must be mitigated? How are cities measuring outcomes? This webinar will be supported by findings from recent OECD work, including the Seoul Implementation Agenda for Inclusive Growth in Cities, launched by the global coalition of OECD Champion Mayors in October 2017, which recognises the need to incorporate an inclusive growth lens into climate change-related activities and investments. It is organised as part of the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth initiative and contributes to the joint OECD-World Bank-UNEP project, Financing Climate Futures: Rethinking Infrastructure.

Speakers:

• Marissa Plouin, Coordinator for Champion Mayors Initiative, OECD
• Yann Françoise, Head of Climate, Energy, and Circular Economy Strategies, City of Paris, France
• Katie Goldman, C40 City Advisor to Los Angeles, Climate Advisor to Mayor Garcetti, City of Los Angeles, California
• Sena Segbedzi, Policy Analyst, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Participant Outcomes:

• Understand the evolution of climate change strategies within cities and how big cities like Los Angeles and Paris are incorporating an inclusive growth lens in their climate change plans
• Discover policy sectors and areas cities have identified for win-wins between climate and inclusion objectives, as well as trade-offs that must be mitigated
• Learn about examples from promising strategies and how cities are measuring impacts

Land use policies, access to public services, decisions about where to build affordable housing, historical practices (such as redlining by the U.S. banking system), as well as entrenched social and economic exclusion have shaped the spatial development of cities by influencing how and where resources are allocated and investments deployed. For fortunate residents, the structures and systems in place enable them to access hubs of economic activity, reside in neighborhoods with quality housing in high opportunity areas, and access vital public services and amenities. For those who are less fortunate, it means dealing with social and economic isolation, living in neighbourhoods plagued by poverty and disinvestment, and in areas more susceptible to climate-related events.

This webinar is organised as part of the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth initiative and in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Findings from the forthcoming OECD report, Divided Cities: Understanding Intra-Urban Inequalities (to be launched at the Lincoln Institute’s International Conference on Municipal Fiscal Health), will set the scene by providing a set of comparable income segregation indicators across city jurisdictions in ten OECD countries plus Brazil and South Africa. The case of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center in the Greater Chicago area will demonstrate one community’s efforts to reduce racial segregation over a span of several decades, all while seeing a rise in overall property values. Perspectives from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy will shed light on how land policies and higher levels of government (including regional authorities) can influence segregation outcomes.

Speakers:

• Marissa Plouin, Coordinator, OECD Champion Mayors initiative
• Paolo Veneri, Acting Head of Unit, Statistics and Territorial Analysis, main author of Divided Cities: Understanding Intra-Urban Inequalities
• Rob Breymaier, Executive Director, Oak Park Regional Housing Center
• Jessie Grogan, Senior Policy Analyst, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Participants outcomes:

• Understand the challenges that can result from segregation by income and/or race and the effects on urban development
• Gain insight on some of the underlying land policies and structures that impact and influence spatial inequality and segregation
• Learn some intentional interventions a community has taken to counter segregation and achieve both integration and growth