Big cities drive economic growth, 60% of global GDP is generated in only 600 urban centers. At the same time, urban areas consume more than two-thirds of the world’s primary energy and produce nearly four-fifths of all global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions). In this context, mayors have to make strong arguments on economic as well as environmental aspects of green projects to foster viable greening of their cities.
This report is an attempt to provide a bridge between the published estimates of economic benefits and estimates obtained directly from cities, and the use of such estimates by decision-makers in specific settings. The report aims to provide best practice insights into the economic co-benefits of green city initiatives, how they are measured and the data and methodologies used.
Information has been gathered from selected cities and five key sectors where data is available, namely the buildings sector, public and private transportation, energy efficiency and community scale development.