Dr.

Fernando ORTIZ-MOYA

This presentation explores how Japanese cities are planning to transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. It first reviews national mechanisms in place to support local governments’ efforts to become net-zero. The presentation continues by presenting the case of Kitakyushu City and its current policies. It concludes by asking how a shrinking...

This presentation explores how Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) can help to accelerate the local implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It reviews the benefits of conducting a VLR for local governments, and details how this process provides a framework to guide SDG localisation, looking at recent examples of cities that have...

Planners worldwide are exploring ways to regenerate shrinking cities, varying from pro-growth strategies with the aim of reversing population losses, to strategies that manage urban decline by adjusting the built environment to a smaller population. However, both approaches are reactionary rather than anticipatory, addressing decline after...

A Voluntary Local Review (VLR) is an instrument to review and follow-up progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thus accelerating their localisation. Since 2018, a growing number of local governments worldwide are turning to the VLR process to articulate their sustainable development policies, highlighting the growing...

At the 2018 High-level Political Forum (HLPF) held in New York, four pioneer local authorities presented the first ever Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs). Kitakyushu, New York, Shimokawa, and Toyama opened a space for other local governments to be part of the global conversation on sustainable development. This presentation frames the VLR movement...

Japan is shrinking. How are Japanese cities and towns adapting their policies to this new context? Local governments are struggling to identify suitable development models to address their smaller size, heavily relying on pro-growth responses seeking to halt and reverse population decline. They are tirelessly trying to lure urban migrants, increase...

This presentation examines the future challenges of shrinking cities. In particular, it focuses on Japanese shrinking cities, exploring how sustainability values are reshaping policies to tackle urban shrinkage. It concludes by questioning how can Japanese cities begin adapting now to the challenges ahead and which sustainable alternatives can help...

This presentation examines how Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) are supporting the localisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It draws upon the analysis of VLR reports presented between 2018 and 2020 to argue that VLRs ease the implementation of the SDGs by fostering horizontal...

This presentation provides hands on guidance on how to conduct a Voluntary Local Review (VLR). It briefly discusses the history of the VLR movement, how conducting a VLR benefits cities, the challenges facing local governments, and the way forward based on the analysis of VLR reports presented between 2018 and 2020.

This lecture explores the current challenges facing shrinking cities. It explains the reasons driving the decline of cities worldwide as well as the currently implemented policy responses. It then assesses cases of cities in Japan and the USA to link theoretical debates with empirical evidences, to better understand how cities are adapting to...