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Project // Integrated Urban Services
Integrated Urban Services (IUS) is a program under the United States-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (US-ASEAN) Smart Cities Partnership helping ASEAN cities build resilience in their water, energy, and food (WEF) systems. The work is funded by the U.S. State Department and led by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
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The Integrated Urban Services (IUS) program demonstrates the socio-economic value and urban benefits of resource recovery and reuse through integrated systems (e.g., water, waste, energy, food) that promote greater efficiency, improve water and energy security, and mitigate public health concerns.
ASEAN cities are experiencing some of the fastest rates of urbanization in the world, creating new demands and stresses on WEF systems. Many cities in the ASEAN region are struggling to provide adequate drinking water, sanitation, waste management, flood control, electricity, and food security while demand for these basic services from industry and residents only increases.
These challenges are driving the need for urban planners and operators, service users, and cross-scale/cross-sector actors to inclusively rethink, reimagine, and redesign the infrastructure of urban environments with a renewed focus on affordability, reliability, resilience, and health. The availability of reliable and clean water and renewable energy, affordable fresh food, and safe sanitation services is key to ensuring environmental sustainability, public health, economic opportunity, and an improved quality of life.
Project Goals
Launched in January 2021, this 3-year project will:
- Educate stakeholders on circular economy approaches to enhance resource recovery and reuse and on opportunities to develop integrated models of basic urban services and food provision
- Provide technical assistance to two ASEAN cities to aid them in implementing circular, regenerative WEF system pilot projects
- Engage the private sector to promote sustainable market-based approaches in support of pilot project implementation.
Project Approach
This project will use a three-phased approach that will engage public and private sector experts to work with two self-selected US-ASEAN Smart Cities Program cities on a pilot effort to increase their WEF system security and resilience.
Phase 1: Stakeholder Consultations and Private Sector Engagement
The first year of the project included regional workshops, held in August 2021, that introduced the Integrated Urban Services program and pilot projects to regional stakeholders and engaged interested cities to understand their WEF system needs, priorities, and barriers to project implementation.
Following these workshops, cities will submit their interest to participate in the pilot program. Two cities will be selected to implement a pilot project where targeted technical assistance, capacity building, and private sector partnerships can help catalyze investment and implementation of integrated WEF solutions.
Engagement with international, regional, and local private sector organizations will be a critical part of program success. An Experts Group and Community of Practice will be established to serve as key resources to support this effort and to provide ongoing feedback and guidance on current research, best practices, and outreach. Dialogue with the U.S. and ASEAN business communities and regional stakeholders will be convened from the onset to broaden understanding of circular economy principles and to bring additional investment and technological innovation to the pilot projects and the region.
The US-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership Integrated Urban Services program regional workshops occurred in August 2021 as part of the Phase 1 activities. These workshops introduced the Integrated Urban Services program and pilot projects to regional stakeholders and engaged interested cities to understand their WEF system needs, priorities, and barriers to project implementation.
Phase 2: Capacity Building and Technical Assistance for Pilot Projects
The second year of the project will initiate capacity building and technical assistance for key public and private sector stakeholders for the two selected pilot cities. Through a series of workshops, webinars, and collaborative discussions, the Integrated Urban Services program will provide opportunities to all participants, both public and private sector, to co-design solutions to address the cities' WEF system needs.
Assistance will be focused on a variety of topics, including:
- Technological and nature-based solutions
- Planning and design
- Modeling and analysis
- Government policy and procurement
- Business planning and project finance
- Implementation strategies.
The result of this effort will be the development of business plans to pique investment interest and outline actionable next steps for pilot project implementation.
Phase 3: Peer Learning and Capacity Building
The project will document and share experiences and case studies to help decision makers in the broader ASEAN Smart Cities Network promote and overcome obstacles to integrated WEF systems. Lessons learned and best practices captured through knowledge documentation and technical assistance activities will be shared at regional peer learning events and trainings. Regional information dissemination is aimed at helping scale implementation of integrated, regenerative WEF solutions through public-private and multi-sectoral partnerships.
Project Impact
Integrated Urban Services is designed to help local city leaders, the private sector, financial institutions, and other stakeholders identify, design, and implement more integrated models that can sustainably secure WEF services in a resource-efficient, environmentally friendly manner.
Project Website
For more information visit the project website.
Contact
Jennifer Daw
Senior Researcher
Helen Santiago Fink
U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership Program Manager
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