Creating happier, healthier, more liveable cities

Bioregional is leading a new international ‘One Planet Cities’ project, funded by the KR Foundation. It is bringing together councils, organisations, businesses, schools and community groups in Canada, Denmark, South Africa and the UK to make their cities better places to live.

Working together, these organisations are co-creating locally owned sustainability action plans to generate a route map towards a sustainable future.

Bioregional’s One Planet Living framework is being used to structure the plans. These ten simple principles – from health and happiness and sustainable food to zero carbon energy – provide a common language to talk about sustainability and to drive change.

The project has created an international network of knowledge-sharing designed to accelerate change towards happy and prosperous lives for all within the limits of our one planet.

The One Planet Cities

In each city, the local authority or a citizen-led coalition has worked with a lead partner to invite organisations to come together to create a One Planet Living action plan.

• Oxfordshire, UK: Oxfordshire County Council was the first local authority to sign up, and is working alongside Bioregional Oxfordshire.
• Saanich, Canada: One Earth, a not-for-profit 'think and do' tank in Vancouver is working with the District of Saanich in British Columbia, Canada.
• Durban, South Africa: Bioregional South Africa is collaborating with a citizen-led coalition in the city to bring together local partners.
• Elsinore, Denmark: This municipality in Denmark is supported by The Ecological Council.

Tarusa, Russia has also joined the project supported by the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office through a grant for “Catalysing growth for sustainable communities through UK-Russian collaboration”. The lead partner is Planet 2030, which will lead the process of creating a One Planet Action Plan for the city.

Local action plans owned by local people

As well as contributing to the city-wide action plan, some of the local contributors have also developed their own sustainability action plans to support the wider vision.

Bioregional has trained 93 ‘One Planet Integrators’ across the locations – these are sustainability champions who will support the development of the city and stakeholder action plans.

All the action plans will be assessed against Bioregional’s One Planet Goals and Guidance for Cities and Regions, as well as carbon and ecological footprints, to show cities and stakeholders how well they respond to the challenge of One Planet Living, and how they could collaborate to achieve more.

Get involved

We are looking for organisations in the four locations to help develop and deliver these plans. If you would like to get involved, please contact your country lead as listed below.