Urban-Act: Integrated Urban Climate Action for low-carbon & resilient cities

Urban-Act supports a transformation towards low-carbon and resilient urban development in the Asia-Pacific. The project assists its government partners to align policies, regulations, and services for urban development with climate and sustainability targets. The project invests in knowledge transfer to strengthen the capacities of institutions, decision makers and technical staff. At the local level, the project supports 14 pilot cities to integrate climate change into urban plans and budgets. Cities are enabled to identify targeted measures for GHG emission reduction and resilience building related to urban mobility, urban environment, building or circular economy and leverage finance for the preparation and implementation of urban climate actions. At the Asia-Pacific level, through UNESCAP and UCLG ASPAC, the project supports advocacy through intergovernmental and city-to-city dialogue and facilitates knowledge sharing to enable scaling-up of projects results and good practices.

Project data

Countries: China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand
IKI funding: 22,625,000.00 €
Included preparation phase: 354,031.24 €
Duration: 04/2022 till 12/2027
Status: open
Political Partner: Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG) - Philippines

Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning (DPT) - Thailand

Ministry of Ecology and Environment - China

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) - India

Ministry of Natural Resources - China

Office of the Permanent Secretary for interior

State Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) - Indonesia
Implementing Partner: Chulalongkorn Universität - Thailand

Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities Center, Inc. (Clean Air Asia) - Philippinen

Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC) - Philippines

National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC) - China

National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA)

Shanghai Urban Planning Development & Research Institute (SUPDRI) - China

Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) - Thailand

Thammasat University

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) - India

Tongji University (TJU) - China

TU Dortmund University (TUD) - Deutschland

United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific(UCLG ASPAC)

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) - Thailand

Universität Stuttgart - Deutschland

World Meteorological Organisation

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State of implementation/results

Delegates from Urban-Act partner countries engaged in global forums like World Urban Forum (WUF) 2024, Smart City Expo Barcelona, and ESCAP Session of the Committee on Environment and Development (CED-8). These engagements fostered cross-border knowledge exchange, reinforced partnerships.

On December 20, 2024, Urban-Act China held a regional workshop to share project results and knowledge. A key outcome was the presentation of an evaluation indicator system for China’s low-carbon and climate-resilient pilot cities. The workshop strengthened regional cooperation and provided a platform for sharing best practices.
Building upon the exchange visits between Shenzhen, China, and Padang and Medan, Indonesia, cooperation on a low-carbon public bus system has been further advanced.

On January 8, 2025, Ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) released two knowledge products: the discussion paper “Pathways for Mainstreaming Urban Climate Actions” and “Vibrant Public Spaces I Want to Visit: 50+ Water & Parkscapes from India’s Smart Cities Mission” These publications contribute to strengthening urban climate action and enhancing the liveability of cities through well-designed public spaces.
An Illustrative Booklet: “Do you live in a Climate Smart City?” launched at the World Habitat Day on 8 October by MoHUA. By presenting complex urban climate concepts in a visual format, the booklet supports municipal officials to integrate climate-smart strategies into local planning and decision-making.
Urban-Act India assisted the State of Himachal Pradesh for the launch of an Information, Education and Communication campaign on Municipal Solid Waste on February 5, 2025. This initiative aims to establish a sustainable model for capacity building, benefiting both citizens and city officials.
A policy dialogue on mainstreaming climate action in Chennai was held on 25 February, 2025, bringing stakeholders together to explore integrating climate resilience and low-carbon development into urban planning frameworks.

Urban-Act Indonesia with ESCAP, held workshops in Padang (Oct 10-11, 2024) and Medan (Oct 24-25, 2024) to identify investment-ready municipal waste projects and enhance climate financing mechanisms.
18-19 December 2024, Urban-Act Indonesia organized a training on Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) mainstreaming in Padang's public transportation sector.
Urban-Act Indonesia and the Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) aligned the 2025 work plan with national priorities and supporting Indonesia’s Long-Term Development Goals 2025-2045, enhancing urban climate finance, advancing Green Academy training modules and integrating GEDSI into local budgets in Padang and Medan.

Urban-Act Philippines conducted a policy workshop on the enabling environment for urban climate action on 19 September 24. This multi-stakeholder activity gathered national and sub-national actors to identify policy alternatives for strengthening climate action in transport, waste, MRV, and climate finance.
The Green Economy Programme Philippines (EU-GEPP) conducted Inception Workshop (6-7 November 2024) with various stakeholders from the government, the private sector, academia and civil society to discuss the work plan and refine project components on policy and stakeholder engagement.

Experts from TU Dortmund visited Chiang Mai, Thailand in November 2024 and conducted meetings and stakeholder discussions to develop policy recommendations on sustainable and climate-resilient urban and transport planning.
March 2025, The Urban-Act Thailand in coordination with Chulalongkorn University and Khon Kaen Municipality successfully submitted a project application for efficient stormwater management to mitigate flood alleviation, applying nature-based solutions and green-blue infrastructure to Cities Finance Facility.
4-5 February 2025, Urban-Act Thailand conducted the Integrated Urban Services (IUS) workshop together with Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) and World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) to introduce the IUS concept and launch capacity development activities.

Latest Update:
04/2025