On 2 September, nine companies advancing innovative approaches to urban nature came together in Kaohsiung to pitch their solutions directly to city representatives and international experts. Shortlisted through an international Call for Solutions, the companies brought expertise spanning urban forest planning and management, nature intelligence and monitoring, water management, and climate-resilient design to address the challenge of “Expanding Kaohsiung’s Green Lung.”
In the words of Huang Shih-Hung, Deputy Director of Kaohsiung’s Environmental Protection Bureau, CiBiX “aims to directly connect real-world sustainability challenges faced by the city with professional solutions.”
Following the pitches, three companies stood out for their potential to help Kaohsiung map, maintain and scale its urban forest and advance its ambition to become nature-positive by 2030: Arup was selected as the Leading Solution for its potential to advance the city’s urban nature agenda, PlanIT Geo received the Greatest Urban Nature Benefit recognition for its potential to deliver significant nature and environmental benefits, and CoCoTree Technology was recognized for the Greatest Transformative Impact for its potential to create lasting impact.
Arup’s solution leveraged its UHeat platform and a comprehensive assessment, typology and pilot demonstration methodology to reduce urban heat exposure, improve thermal comfort in public spaces, enhance urban forest management and strengthen climate resilience in vulnerable neighborhoods.
PlanIT Geo gathered a multidisciplinary consortium of specialists to comprehensively strengthen Kaohsiung’s urban forest management, from mobile LiDAR scanning and city-wide assessment to master planning and biodiversity strategies, with the aim of creating financeable projects and meeting the 3-30-300 rule.
CoCoTree Technology leveraged its digital platform to integrate baseline data on the city’s urban canopy, heat risk and population demographics to analyze regional vulnerability, prioritize urban greening sites and track progress.
The three winning solutions show the range of expertise that cities can draw on to advance urban nature and resilience, from data and technology to planning and long-term management. The Kaohsiung-ICLEI City-Business Accelerator (CiBiX) creates the conditions for cities and solution providers to move beyond the pitch and explore how promising approaches can translate into action.
Guiding the assessment and the workshop’s discussion was a five-member jury: Li Gen-Zheng, Chairman of Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan; Luo Cheng-Yuan, Deputy Director of the Parks Office, Public Works Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government; David Jácome-Pólit, Head of Resilient Development Team at ICLEI World Secretariat; Yi-Sheng Yang, Executive Director of the ICLEI Kaohsiung Capacity Center; and Hui-Wen Chen, Section Chief in the Adaptation and Resilience Division of Taiwan’s Climate Change Administration, Ministry of Environment.
Together, the nine solutions showed how strengthening Kaohsiung’s urban forest can go beyond expanding green space, contributing to a healthier, more resilient city for both people and nature.
News
