About the SlimCity initiative

New Report: Accelerating Smart Grid Investments

Accelerating Smart Grid Investments, a new World Economic Forum report developed with Accenture and industry experts, determines how smart grids can be the backbone infrastructure for tomorrow’s energy solutions and green economy.

Download the report in English | Download the report in Chinese | Watch the interview | Press release

SlimCity initiative

SlimCity is a World Economic Forum Industry Partnership initiative that provides a risk-free marketplace where cities and the private sector can exchange best practices to deliver resource efficiency within cities throughout the world. The focus of this exchange is on the sustainable development of all aspects of a city to achieve reduced carbon emissions and increased resource efficiency across all sectors, involving the following industries: Energy, Mobility, Engineering & Construction, Chemicals, Real Estate and Information Technology.

Why focus on urban areas? From a global perspective cities have become the engines of economic prosperity. They have also become the centres of population. In parallel, cities have become the centres of consumption, currently accounting for approximately 67% of global primary energy demand. The corollary to this concentration of population and consumption is the concentration of activities that lead to climate change. Cities now account for over 70% of global CO2 emissions. In this context, city leaders can play an important role in implementing sustainable solutions and demonstrate that it is possible to achieve far-reaching results – not just for their city, but ultimately for the benefit of the wider world.

Workstreams

The SlimCity initiative is structured with three cross-sector workstreams that focus on specific issues, coordinated by an overall project management office. The purpose of the workstreams is to dive deeper into issues that mayors and
private sector chief executives identify as a priority. The three workstreams are:

• Smart Energy – addressing more intelligent, cleaner and more efficient energy systems, offering new services and more choice to consumers. This workstream is driven by the Energy and IT  Industry Partner communities.
• Sustainable Buildings – addressing the full lifecycle of buildings from materials production through design and construction to operations, retrofitting and recycling, and building codes that influence implementation. This workstream
is driven by the Chemical, Engineering & Construction, and Real Estate Industry Partner communities.
• The Future of Urban Mobility – addressing the development, integration and operations/maintenance of all forms of urban mobility, with a focus on sustainability, access and demand management. This workstream is driven by the Mobility Industry Partner community.