The global review is part of the documents ICLEI published on the occasion of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro 2012 (Rio+20). It is accompanied by the publication ‘Local Sustainability 2012: Showcasing progress. Case studies’.
The Global Review shows the different ways in which cities and local governments have taken up the work towards sustainability over the past two decades: what has happened, what were the drivers, what experiences have been gained, what lessons could be learned?
The selected case studies were identified and collected through global consultation to illustrate how cities can become more sustainable. 14 cases from six continents were selected from the following countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Iceland, India, Japan, Mexico, and South Africa. The cases portray a broad mix of contemporary themes, and an active and strong involvement of local governments in pioneering greater urban sustainability. Each case focuses on a particular program, initiative, policy or measure. These selected cities are considered as regional pioneers, who have developed their sustainability agenda over time across political terms and showed consistent ambition, creativity, and courage in stretching the traditional limits of their jurisdictional role and finding progressive new ways of dealing with urban challenges.