Event

Urban Ocean

Building Clean, Healthy Cities for Clean, Healthy Seas

April 2022, 9-10:30pm SGT

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About the Event

Events Schedule

News and Resources

A capacity-building and project accelerator designed WITH CITIES FOR CITIES.

At its core, Urban Ocean was created to bring urban and ocean practitioners closer together, leveraging peer-to-peer learning, championing circular economy principles, and building awareness of ocean pollution in urban areas.

Over the past two years, Urban Ocean cities completed rigorous gap assessment processes and capacity building sessions to pinpoint the best opportunities for impact and formulate diverse and holistic projects to implement locally.

The circular economy offers a $4.5 trillion economic opportunity by reducing waste, stimulating innovation, and creating employment. It can create a net increase of six million jobs and cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 39% by 2030, benefiting industries, sectors, and lives. (WRI, 2021)

Economic Infrastructure Water

Five Learning Cities in Asia and Latin America were selected because of their commitment to improving waste management and creating circular systems as well as their potential to provide solutions to ocean waste leakage.

The Learning Cities are supported by Mentor Cities including Christchurch, Milan, Rotterdam, Toyama, and Vejle, who were selected because of their proven track record in implementing circular economy strategies and their work in fighting against ocean plastic.

 

Read City Opportunity Booklet >>

Our Sponsors

The Accelerator Summit is a virtual event that brings cities and partners together to exchange knowledge and allows the cities to present their project ideas to potential partners and funders.

Please note that event attendance is subject to availability

26 April 2022

Opening & Living Lab Session
10-11:30am SGT

This session will focus on equipping cities with additional methods to finance and implement project opportunities.

Fully Booked

26 April 2022

Project Pitches: Latin America and India
10-11:30am SGT

This session will focus on equipping cities with additional methods to finance and implement project opportunities.

Fully Booked

26 April 2022

Project Pitches: ASEAN
10-11:30am SGT

This session will focus on equipping cities with additional methods to finance and implement project opportunities.

Fully Booked

26 April 2022

Implementation Roadmaps and Closing Ceremony
10-11:30am SGT

This session will focus on equipping cities with additional methods to finance and implement project opportunities.

Fully Booked

Join The Summit

Cities cannot do this alone.
Join us on the path towards a more resilient urban-ocean relationship.


News and Resources

Opportunity Booklet

City Opportunity Booklet

The following opportunities have been identified by city stakeholders, in close collaboration with the Urban Ocean program, as high-impact solutions for multiple challenges. These opportunities have been carefully analyzed and prioritized to address the ocean plastic waste issue while building equitable, sustainable, and resilient cities.

Read Booklet >>

Urban Ocean Toolkit

Urban Ocean Toolkit

Over the course of the first Urban Ocean program iteration, we have developed a rich body of information and tools to support Urban Ocean cities. This toolkit collates the resources developed throughout the program and also includes several additional resources that will support cities as they strive towards cleaner, healthier communities and cleaner, healthier seas. We are delighted to bring these materials to a broader audience with this interactive, easy-to-navigate toolkit.

Read Toolkit >>

Case Studies

Con Son

The Con Son isle is embracing its potential as the ecotourism destination of Can Tho while addressing a major challenge that often goes hand in hand with tourism: increased waste production. In order to reduce plastic consumption and help maintain the growing ecotourism, the island implemented a multi-stakeholder program to reintroduce natural products as packaging materials was.

Read Con Son Case Study >>

Milan

In response to growing health inequalities and climate change, Milan has rethought its local food system, setting out a comprehensive approach to reduce food waste while achieving multiple co-benefits.

Read Milan Case Study >>

Panama City

Panama City has a high ratio of incorrectly disposed waste, reaching its rivers and the sea. To prevent solid waste further polluting its water bodies, the City partnered with a not-for-profit to install waste containment barriers, preventing waste dumped in the rivers from reaching the ocean where it would be harder to intercept.

Read Panama Case Study >>

Pune

Like in many cities, Pune’s informal waste-pickers form a significant part of the waste management system. What is different to other cities is the way they collaborate with the city government through SWaCH, Pune’s pro-poor public private partnership wholly owned by self-employed waste workers.

Read Pune Case Study >>

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is a dense urban environment with households producing a significant amount of waste. The city took on the challenge of addressing multiple concerns with municipal waste, including: inefficient collections, unsanitary conditions, garbage occupying valuable public space, and waste worker safety.

Read Rotterdam Case Study >>

Semarang

Community waste banks are a widespread phenomenon in Indonesia, providing small scale waste reduction whilst creating financial value for the community. Semarang has over 200 community waste banks. This case study describes its challenges and opportunities, using different examples that demonstrate how to create co-benefits from waste banks.

Read Semarang Case Study >>

Toyama City

Recognizing the importance of strong community ties and the involvement of citizens in waste management, Toyama City has promoted a holistic approach to innovation in the waste sector that brings along its people. Focused on involving stakeholders from school children to local businesses, the city demonstrates how there is no one silver bullet to resilient waste management, but instead requires an integrated plan and vision that bridges sectors.

Read Toyama Case Study >>

Circularity Assessment Protocol Reports

Developed by the Circularity Informatics Lab at the University of Georgia (UGA), the Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP) is a standardized assessment protocol to inform decision-makers through collecting community-level data on plastic usage and management. Grounded in materials flow and systems thinking concepts, the CAP uses a hub-and-spoke model to holistically characterize how consumer plastic flows into a community, is consumed, and flows out, either through waste management systems or leakage into the environment. The model, shown below, consists of seven spokes: input, community, material and product design, use, collection, end of cycle, and leakage. At the center, the system is driven by policy, economics, and governance with key influencers including non-governmental organizations, industry, and government.

 

Can Tho, Vietnam

Between October 2020 and January 2021, a team from the DRAGON Institute at Can Tho University, with guidance and support from the Circularity Informatics Lab, conducted fieldwork in the city of Can Tho, Vietnam. The CAP was conducted with support from the city’s local government, Resilience Officers, and the larger Urban Ocean team.

Read CAP for Can Tho, Vietnam >>

Melaka, Malaysia

Between October 2020 and March 2021, a team from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) with guidance and support from the Circularity Informatics Lab, conducted fieldwork in Melaka, Malaysia. The CAP was conducted with support from the city’s local government, the Chief Resilience Officer (a top-level advisor in the city that is responsible for leading, coordinating and developing a city’s resilience strategy and policy), and the larger Urban Ocean team.

Read CAP for Melaka >>

Panama City, Panama

Between October 2020 and March 2021, a team from Centro de Estudios y Acción Social Panameño (CEASPA), with guidance and support from the Circularity Informatics Lab, conducted fieldwork in the city of Panama City, Panama.The CAP was conducted with support from the city’s local government, Resilience Officers, and the larger Urban Ocean team.

Read CAP for Panama >>

Read CAP for Panama Spanish Version >>

Pune, India

Between October 2020 and March 2021, a team from The Centre for Environment Education (CEE), with guidance and support from the Circularity Informatics Lab, conducted fieldwork in the city of Pune, India. The CAP was conducted with support from the city’s local government, the Chief Resilience Officer (a top-level advisor in the city that is responsible for leading, coordinating, and developing a city’s resilience strategy and policy), and the larger Urban Ocean team.

Read CAP for Pune >>

Semarang, Indonesia

Between October and November 2020, a team from the Initiatives for Regional Development and Environmental Management (IRDEM) at Diponegoro University, with guidance and support from the Circularity Informatics Lab, conducted fieldwork in the city of Semarang, Indonesia. The CAP was conducted with support from the city’s local government, Resilience Officers, and the larger Urban Ocean team.

Read CAP for Semarang >>