Roundtable: Decarbonising the built environment – rethinking urban development for a climate-resilient future

This roundtable will be focusing on rethinking urban development for a climate-resilient future. Urban buildings are responsible for over 40 per cent of global carbon emissions. Cities must rapidly scale up net-zero retrofitting, rethink construction materials, and integrate nature-based solutions into urban planning – all while navigating funding gaps, policy inertia, and conflicting development priorities. This roundtable is designed to focus on how to take action in these areas, including:

• Scaling up net-zero retrofits and high-efficiency buildings – what financial and regulatory incentives are needed?
• Nature-based solutions in urban design – integrating green roofs, permeable infrastructure, and urban biodiversity into planning regulations.
• Financing the decarbonisation of buildings – unlocking green finance, sustainable construction incentives, and public-private partnerships.
• Addressing the embodied carbon challenge – shifting towards low-carbon materials and circular economy approaches in construction.

This roundtable runs alongside the Cities Climate Action Summit which is taking place in County Hall, London (overlooking the Houses of Parliament). Each session will allow up to 15 delegates to discuss the topics in question and will be moderated by one of the SmartCitiesWorld team.

All registrations for this roundtable will be reviewed to ensure relevance by our event curator. You will be informed whether your registration for this workshop has been successful via email. Register today for your chance to attend this exclusive, executive-level roundtable and help solve urban climate challenges.