The Climate City

Leah Lazer and Nick Godfrey

The Decoupled City– Cities are a critical vehicle for delivering the emissions reductions needed to limit global warming. National governments can drive economic prosperity and address climate emergency by supporting sustainable, equitable cities.

Leah Lazeris passionate about just, sustainable cities. She serves as Research Analyst at the World Resources Institute, where she has authored numerous publications on urban planning, sustainable transportation, climate justice, and the circular economy. With the Coalition for Urban Transitions, she worked as researcher and project manager for a major global initiative supporting national governments to secure economic prosperity and tackle the climate crisis by transforming cities, based on a partnership of more than 35 of the world’s leading institutions and companies. Previously, Leah was part of Siemens’ Urban Development team in London, and a food justice NGO in Philadelphia. She holds an MSc in Regional and Urban Planning Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA in Food System Studies from Tufts University, Massachusetts.

Nick Godfreyis a Senior Adviser for the Grantham Research Institute at LSE. He was formerly the co-founder and director of the Coalition for Urban Transitions, a special initiative of the New Climate Economy, and a major global initiative supporting national governments to secure economic prosperity and tackle the climate crisis by transforming cities based on a partnership of more than 35 of the world’s leading institutions and companies.

The initiative is co-hosted by the World Resources Institute and C40 Climate Leadership Group. Before this, Nick was a member of the Executive Team and Head of Policy and Urban Development for the New Climate Economy, a major international initiative to examine how countries can achieve economic growth while dealing with climate risks led by a Global Commission of 26 former heads of state, finance ministers, CEOs, and thought leaders.

Justin Keeble and Molly Blatchly-Lewis

The Responsible City– A responsible city is guided by a compelling mission and purpose harnessing business to bring environmental and societal value.

Justin Keebleis Managing Director of Accenture’s European Sustainability practice. He has spent 22 years working with companies to harness environmental and social pressures as drivers for business transformation, growth, and innovation. He has worked across consumer industries, financial services, high tech, energy and utilities sectors, and the public sector including municipal and city administrations. He recently built an eco-house in south Oxfordshire where he lives with his wife and three daughters and has a penchant for amateur pugilism.

Molly Blatchly-Lewisis a Strategist within Accenture’s Global Cities, Transport and Infrastructure Practice. She has worked with a wide range of government and private sector clients in the UK and internationally, specializing in sustainability, urban mobility, and emerging technologies such as 5G and digital twins. Her focus is on the role of systems thinking in tackling urban challenges, developing innovative, practical policies and solutions for sustainable impact. Her experience includes working with the World Economic Forum to develop integrated solutions to decarbonize cities; shaping a clean mobility strategy with Transport for West Midlands; driving innovation across construction firms and infrastructure agencies to accelerate decarbonization and enhance communities; helping to grow an innovation ecosystem in East Asia and co-creating a leadership development framework for a global climate change NGO.

Pete Daw

The Energized City– The energized city thinks of energy as something that can be used more efficiently, optimized in the way we supply it, consume it, and plan for it.

Pete Dawis director of Global Urban Futures, advising public and private organizations on climate change and sustainability. He recently supported the London Waste and Recycling Board in developing the case for their five-year business plan focused on driving down consumption-based emissions and making the London circular economy. He is now on assignment with the Greater London Authority, heading the climate change mitigation and adaptation teams.

At Siemens he was director of Urban Development and Environment at the Global Centre for Cities, where he worked with cities globally to help them understand the role technology can play in tackling their challenges. He worked extensively on Siemens’ smart city approach in China, India, Italy, and Saudi Arabia. He also headed the Siemens partnership with C40 Cities, where he produced thoughtful leadership pieces on topics ranging from connected and autonomous vehicles to climate financing. He developed Johannesburg’s first-ever greenhouse gas inventory as part of Siemens’ work with C40 Cities.

Previously Pete worked in London government for 12 years. He was Policy & Programmes Manager for Climate Change Mitigation & Energy for the Greater London Authority between 2008 and 2013, where he led the development of the city’s Climate Change Mitigation & Energy Strategy and its Air Quality Strategy. Prior to that he was Waste Policy manager at the London Development Agency, where he designed the concept and secured £24 million of funding for a waste infrastructure fund.

Julia Thayne DeMordaunt

The Agile City (Part I)– The chapter first takes a look back and then defines a path forward for how cities, people, and technology come together to deliver transportation systems that offer what people need when they need it.

An expert at the leading edge of systemic change for transportation and infrastructure policy, Julia Thayne DeMordaunthelps governments, private companies, and NGOs translate ambitious visions into actionable plans that benefit the communities they impact. Julia is Principal of Urban Transformation at the Rocky Mountain Institute. Prior to this Julia developed mobility innovation programmes for the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, she worked as director of Urban Development at Siemens, consulting on initiatives for 35 cities across Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. She is also founder and board member of the public–private innovation hub Urban Movement Labs, and an educator at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Her work has been featured in publications including Fast Company, The Washington Post, CityLab, Vox, Bloomberg, Governing Magazine Quartz, Tech Crunch , and Curbed .