Climate Smart Cities
Cities house more than half the world’s population and account for four-fifths of global economic activity1. They also support critical infrastructure and services – yet they are constantly facing challenges, including rapid population growth and environmental impacts such as flooding, storm surges and heat waves. City leaders and utilities are looking for ways to finance and build adequate public infrastructure and services to address these issues – while simultaneously looking for efficiency and cost savings.
USAID has several programs to help cities increase their capacity to finance and build public infrastructure and services to address these challenges. These programs help cities engage a diverse cross-section of stakeholders – local, national, public and private – and address incentives for and challenges to mobilizing finance. Ultimately they help put cities on a sustainable path to meet their development goals, ensuring they expand and thrive economically while also curbing emissions and protecting residents from risks. USAID is committed to supporting improved urban services to help cities and countries achieve climate-resilient, low-emission, sustainable economic development as outlined in its urban policy, Sustainable Service Delivery in an Increasingly Urbanized World.
Visit UrbanLinks for additional information on USAID’s sustainable urban development work.
1. The State of City Climate Finance 2015
USAID Programs Supporting Climate Smart Cities
Adaptation
ProjectKey ThemesDetails
C40 Cities Finance
Facility (CFF)urban, adaptation, mitigation, climate finance, development donors, infrastructure, partnership, private sector engagementUSAID Managing Unit: Global Climate Change Office
Place of Implementation: Global
Project Period: 2016-2018
(pilot phase)
Partner: GIZ
Adaptasi Perubahan Iklim dan Ketangguhan (Climate Change Adaption and Resilience) (APIK)urban, adaptation, governance, private sector engagement, coastalUSAID Managing Unit: Indonesia
Place of Implementation: Indonesia
Project Period: 2015-2020
Partner: DAI
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Finance (WASH-FIN)urban, climate finance, adaptation, water, infrastructure, private sector engagementUSAID Managing Unit: Water Office
Place of Implementation: Global
Project Period: 2016-2021
Partner: Tetra Tech
Philippines Water
Security for Resilient Economic Growth and Stability Project (Be-Secure)Water, infrastructure, disaster, governance, urban, training, vulnerability assessment, adaptation, coastalUSAID Managing Unit: Philippines
Place of Implementation: Philippines
Project Period: 2013-2017
Partner: AECOM
Mozambique Coastal Cities Adaptation Program (CCAP)Water, infrastructure, governance, urban, vulnerability assessment, adaptation, coastal, private sector engagement, land useUSAID Managing Unit: Mozambique
Place of Implementation: Mozambique
Project Period: 2013-2018
Partner: Chemonics
Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund (UCCRTF)Development donors, urban, adaptation, private sector engagement, partnership, climate financeUSAID Managing Unit: Regional Development
Mission for Asia
Place of Implementation: Asia Region
Project Period: 2013-2017
Partner: N/A
Colombia Low Carbon Resilient Development (LCRD)Adaptation, mitigation, LEDS, urban, climate finance, governance, vulnerability assessment, carbonUSAID Managing Unit: Colombia
Place of
Implementation: Colombia
Project Period: 2014-2017
Partner: U.S. Forest Service
Adaptation Thought Leadership and Assessments (ATLAS)Urban, vulnerability assessment, adaptation, climate science, evaluation, weather and climate servicesUSAID Managing Unit: Global Climate Change Office
Place of Implementation: Global
Project Period: 2014-2019
Partner: Chemonics
Ciudades Líderes en Iniciativas y Metas de Adaptación (CLIMA) INFO, PLAN and ADAPTUrban, adaptation, weather and climate services, vulnerability assessment, governance, water, climate policy, coastal, infrastructure, land useUSAID Managing Unit: Dominican
Republic
Place of Implementation: Dominican Republic
Project Period: 2015-2019
Partner: Instituto Technologia de Santo Domingo, ICMA, Instituto Domincano de Desarollo Integral
Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE)LEDS, urban, emissions, governance, adaptation, land use, gender and social inclusionUSAID Managing Unit: Philippines
Place of Implementation: Philippines
Project Period:
2015-2020
Partner: ICMA
Clean Energy
Project Key ThemesDetails
C40 Cities Finance
Facility (CFF)urban, adaptation, mitigation, climate finance, development donors, infrastructure, partnership, private sector engagementUSAID Managing Unit: Global Climate Change Office
Place of
Implementation: Global
Project Period: 2016-2018
(pilot phase)
Partner: GIZ
Colombia Low Carbon
Resilient Development (LCRD)Adaptation, mitigation, LEDS, urban, climate finance, governance, vulnerability assessment, carbonUSAID Managing Unit: Colombia
Place of
Implementation: Colombia
Project Period: 2014-2017
Partner: U.S. Forest Service
South Africa Low
Emissions
Development (LED)Urban, mitigation, clean energy, LEDS, governance, private sector engagementUSAID Managing Unit: South Africa
Place of
Implementation: South Africa
Project Period: 2013-2018
Partner: Chemonics
Distributed
Photovoltaics (DPV)Urban, mitigation, clean energy, training, LEDS, trainingUSAID Managing Unit: Global Climate Change Office
Place of
Implementation: Global
Project Period: 2015-2019
Partner: National
Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)
Strengthening Urban
Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE)LEDS, urban, emissions, governance, adaptation, land use, mitigation, gender and social inclusionUSAID Managing Unit: Philippines
Place of
Implementation: Philippines
Project Period: 2015-2020
Partner: ICMA
Vietnam Clean Energy
Program (VCEP)Urban, mitigation, clean energy, training, governanceUSAID Managing Unit: Vietnam
Place of
Implementation: Vietnam
Project Period: 2012-2017
Partner: Winrock
International