Cities as epicenters of emissions and laboratories of transition

In a new article for Bocconi News, Edoardo Croci, SUR Lab Director, highlights the dual role of cities in the climate crisis: while urban areas account for an estimated 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions and face acute climate risks, they are also uniquely positioned to drive deep decarbonization and sustainability transitions. The concentration of people, infrastructure, and institutions creates both the challenge and the opportunity for transformative action grounded in innovation and governance.

Croci situates urban action within international frameworks such as the UN Agenda 2030 and the New Urban Agenda, as well as evolving European urban and climate policies that increasingly prioritise cities as central actors. He underscores how these frameworks channel investment and policy attention to urban climate strategies that blend mitigation, adaptation, and social inclusion.

A key focus of the article is the emerging role of Climate City Contracts, multistakeholder planning instruments developed under the EU Missions that commit selected cities to climate neutrality by 2030 while aligning public and private investments with long-term environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. Urban regeneration is presented as a core mechanism to retrofit outdated infrastructure, optimize land use, and advance climate-smart development.

Croci argues that these urban processes must be guided by transparent governance and robust indicators to ensure measurable social and environmental impacts—not just outputs but real outcomes for communities. In this way, cities can move from being the largest sources of emissions to laboratories of transition where real solutions for sustainable and equitable urban futures are tested and scaled.

Full article: LINK

Photo credit: Sébastien Artaud - Unsplash