Facing Global Environmental and Social Challenges

Recent global changes, in particular the implementation of a new worldwide development agenda and the Paris agreement on climate change, have highlighted the close link between environmental and social issues. Galloping urbanization and demographic growth create tensions on resources and must incite us be more responsible, more efficient and more innovative. Urban challenge has to tackle both the issue of natural resources and the protection of vulnerable populations, either in terms of accessing quality services or in facing consequences from extreme weather events. Development and social innovation opportunities are part of urbanization. Urban density allows an economy of scale and more efficient management of urban services than in less populated areas, water and sanitation services in particular. Responding to these challenges means rethinking the relations between the city, its actors and the resources; it also entails developing new economic and social growth models through basic services that will be more efficient, better balanced and more sustainable. What kind of new cooperations must be considered for the regions and the cities to contribute to a more secure, open, resilient and sustainable city? As an historic partner of the World Urban Campaign carried by UN-Habitat, Veolia invites its partners of the initiative “The City we need” to debate possible solutions and initiatives at regional level to build a safe and easy-to-live-in city. Among them: French network of Urban Planning Public Agencies (FNAU), the Paris Region Planning and Development Agency (IAU Île-de-France), AdP – Villes en développement (association of professionals working for the benefit of developing countries in the areas of urban and rural planning) •100 Resilient Cities (global platform dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to the physical, social and economic challenges) will provide concrete feedbacks on experiences led in differents cities around the world and tools set up. Representatives from municipalities, in particular from Latin America, will share actual concrete operations.  Other partners in attendance: UCLG, Aquafed, ISWA, Representative of the Latino American cities Among the themes that will be discussed : - Urban Plan - Resilience - Short loops and circular economy, - Innovation