Event Description

Can cities be both ecologically healthy and socially just? There are no easy answers, not even in Vancouver, one of the world’s greenest cities. Yet multiple solutions are emerging with new leadership and new partnerships. Ecocity 2019 is where these breakthroughs and advances will be shared. Jointly hosted by the City of Vancouver and the British Columbia Institute of Technology, join Mayor Kennedy Stewart and a host of local, regional and global experts converging in Vancouver this October to build the bridge to socially just and ecologically sustainable cities.

The 2019 Ecocity World Summit brings together a diverse mix of researchers, policy makers, city-building professionals, business innovators, and civil society leaders who share a commitment to creating socially just and ecologically sustainable cities. Join participants from over 75 countries to explore solutions and opportunities to reshape cities to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect natural habitat and create urban spaces to enable access to employment, shelter and services at any income level. The Summit will help to build an infrastructure of ideas, strategies, and actions we can all use to promote cities that are socially inclusive and ecologically healthy. This year’s primary theme is “socially just and ecologically sustainable cities.” Important sub-themes include: climate action, circular economy, and informal solutions for sustainable development. These themes weave through the conference tracks. The 2019 conference brings focus to the International Ecocity Standards (IES) by using its four pillars as the conference tracks: Urban design; Bio-geophysical conditions; Socio-cultural features; and Ecological imperatives.