About the network
The Sustainable Cities Network fosters collaboration and sustainability solutions to address emerging challenges.
Building the network
The Sustainable Cities Network is designed to bridge ASU’s research and technical capabilities in sustainability with the front-line challenges facing cities, towns, and Tribal communities across Arizona. Decisions made today regarding land use, transportation, water, economic development, and social services will have enormous long-term impacts on the future sustainability of our megapolitan region. Recognizing this, many local communities are exploring sustainable approaches to address these challenges.
The network is a vehicle for sharing knowledge and coordinating efforts to better understand and solve local issues. It serves as a clearinghouse for best practices that cities can apply to their unique circumstances, problems, and goals for environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Through the Network, partner communities and organizations work together to streamline and green city operations, advance renewable energy, mitigate the urban heat island and extreme heat, design sustainable neighborhoods, and conserve water in a changing climate.
The Sustainable Cities Network is an outreach and education program of ASU’s Global Futures Laboratory and the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation.
Our mission
ASU, city, county and tribal leaders established the Sustainable Cities Network to:
Enhance and ensure the sustainability of the region
Share knowledge and coordinate efforts to solve local sustainability issues
Foster partnerships and discover best practices
Provide training and information
Offer meaningful connections and collective learning opportunities
Connect ASU research with the front-line challenges of sustainability
Our strategy
The network provides community participants with knowledge, resources and innovations to accelerate sustainability leadership national sustainability leadership across Arizona. Through the network, our partners, the steering committee and various workgroups collaborate in order to streamline city operations, advance solar energy, mitigate the urban heat island, design sustainable neighborhoods and secure water supplies in a changing climate. By working together, network partners are making sustainability a core value in city planning, policy and operations.