At the culmination of its year as European Green Capital, ICLEI member Bristol (UK) gathered a pioneering group of businesses at the Business Summit and innovative civic leaders at the City Leadership Summit to explore how creative civic governance and forward-thinking businesses can build healthy and happy communities.

The two summits showcased how cities and regions are at the forefront of sustainable development, and how they must play a leadership role in reducing dependence on fossil fuels and driving forward the low-carbon economy. Throughout the sessions, local authorities demonstrated that they are ideally positioned to facilitate the roll-out of policies and actions while fostering community participation and inclusiveness.

Within the Transformative Actions Program (TAP) session, co-organised by ICLEI, city leaders explained their ambitious, cross-cutting and inclusive actions, focusing on mitigation and adaptation to climate change. George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, presented Bristol’s TAP proposal to retrofit around 50,000 homes to make them more energy efficient. The potential of innovation to bring social and economic change was also emphasised. A series of interviews capture the outlook of local authorities participating at the Bristol Summits.

For more information, visit the Bristol Summits website.