Ordre du Jour

14:00 - 15:30 - Opening of the Green Growth and Sustainable Development Forum 2016 (GGSD) and Scene-Setting Presentations (public session) - Room CC4

• Opening of the GGSD 2016 Forum by Mr. Rintaro Tamaki, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD
  
  

Moderator: Mr. Simon Upton, Director, Environment Directorate, OECD

• Keynote Speakers: 
  • Mr. Patrick Klugman, Deputy Mayor of Paris, France
  • Mr. Stanley YIP, Professor, Centre of Urban Planning & Design, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China

• OECD Perspectives:
  • Mr. Christian Kastrop, Director of the Policy Studies Branch, Economics Department, OECD
  • Mr. Rolf Alter, Director, Pubilc Governance & Territorial Development, OECD

Key Policy Questions:

• What are roles of cities in fostering Green Growth? 
• What opportunities and challenges do urban development processes offer?
• Are existing land-use patterns, economic development and Green Growth in balance?  

16:00 - 18:00  - Session 1: Do existing land use policies work well for inclusive development and green growth - Joint session with the OECD Regional Development Policy Committee (RDPC) - Room CC4

Land use policies are an important part of the policy mix as they are a key tool to further economic, environmental and social goals. Land use policies are also a prime example of a policy field where cooperation between the local, regional and national level is crucial for achieving desired outcomes. Based on OECD work, this session discusses the policies needed with respect to land use and spatial planning at the local, regional and national levels to achieve sustainable and fair economic growth.

Moderator: Mr. Paul LeBlanc, President of Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Chair of OECD Regional Development Policy Committee (Canada)

Keynote Speakers: 

• Prof. Philip McCann Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
• Mr. Joaquim Oliveira Martins, Head, Regional Development Policy Division, OECD

Panellists:

• Mr. Dominique Bureau, Economic Council for Sustainable Development, Ministry of Environment, Energy and the Sea, France
• Dr. Jana Plamínková, City Counsellor of Prague, Czech Republic
• Mr. Salin Geevarghese, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
• Mr. Shahar Solar, Ministry of Environment, Israel

9:30 - 11: 00 Session 2: Urban sprawl: A remaining challenge - Room CC4

Urban sprawl is a major concern for many countries and has become a subject of popular debate and policy initiatives from governmental bodies, local authorities and non-profit organizations. Planning traditions, systems and models vary across countries and present different ways to monitor and control sprawl. There may not be a unique spatial planning policy model that suits every country, region or city. However with increasing environmental concerns associated with sprawling urban areas, it would be prudent for governments at all levels to re-examine their spatial planning systems and make the necessary policy reforms to harmonise economic development and environmental protection. Since 2015 OECD’s work under the Working Party on Integrating Environmental and Economic Policies (WPIEEP) has focussed on the evaluation of the effectiveness of spatial planning instruments in achieving environmental and economic objectives. The OECD project on Spatial Planning Instruments and the Environment (SPINE) relies on the refined geospatial and environmental data and state-of-the-art analytical and empirical methods to shed light on the effects of land-use patterns and spatial planning instruments on economic development, social cohesion, public finance and the environment. This session is informed by work conducted under the SPINE project.

Moderator: Dr. Edward Hearnshaw, Principal Policy Analyst, New Zealand Ministry for the Environment; Delegate to the OECD Working Party on Integrating Environmental
                   and Economic Policies.

Keynote Presentatons by: Prof. Jan Brueckner, Economics, University of California, United States
                                             Ms. Marie Cugny-Seguin, Natural System and Sustainability, European Environment Agency

Panellist:

• Prof. Elena Irwin, Environmental & urban economist, Ohio State University, United States
• Dr. Julien Salanié, Associate Professor, Université Saint-Etienne, France
• Prof. Walid Oueslati, Senior Economist, Environment and Economy Integration, OECD

• Key policy questions:

1. What are the main drivers of urban sprawl in OECD countries and what are their implications for green growth?
2. What are the effects of anti-sprawl policies on the economy, the environment and social inclusion?
3. How can transport policies complement spatial planning instruments in curbing urban sprawl and its environmental and economic consequences?
4. How can breakthrough transport technologies and transformative business models affect urban sprawl patterns and their consequences in the near future?

11:30 - 13:00 Session 3: How do cities meet "green growth challenges"? Innovative policy approaches - Room CC4

Cities play an important role as ‘game changers’ in several contexts in the 21st century. Urban issues are increasingly prominent on national and global policy agendas, from Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 to the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and Habitat III, the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, in Quito, Ecuador, 17–20 October 2016. Cities and metropolitan areas are major contributors to national economies and play a key role as nodes in global markets. It is not always clear what the most effective policy approaches are to create impacts on advancing green growth.
This session focuses mainly on the municipal level where many experiments have started to make cities the catalyst of change. Innovative approaches at the city level could include: productive urban economy; urban food and agriculture; shared economy and smart city/digital technologies. Diversity in policy strategies for green growth according to the urban policy context in different cities and regions needs to be recognised. Similarities in green growth opportunities and challenges imply the importance of knowledge sharing and cooperation among cities.

Moderator: Dr Vincent Fouchier, Director of the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolitan area planning project; Chair of the OECD Working Party on Urban Policy (WPURB)

Key note speaker:

• Ms. Rosario Robles Berlanga, Minister of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (SEDATU), Mexico

Panellists:

• Dr. Hoang Vinh Hung, Urban Development Agency, Ministry of Construction, Vietnam
• Mr. Chang-Beom Kim, Ambassador for International Relations, Seoul Metropolitan Government
• Prof. Edoardo Croci, IEFE Università Bocconi, Green Economy Observatory, Milano, Italy
• Dr. Adarsh Varma, Associate Director, Cities & Economics, BuroHappold Engineering, United Kingdom
• Ms. Evelyn Nacario-Castro, Executive Director, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., Philippines 

• Key policy questions:

1. What can we learn from innovative policy approaches by cities and can best practices be applied elsewhere?
2. How can cities and other levels of government work together to foster green growth within the context of 2030 Agenda/SDGs implementation and Habitat lll?
3. How can cities’ urban green growth actions be financed?
4. What is role for public procurement for green growth?
5. What is the role of the private sectors / citizen’s engagement in urban green growth?

The Urban Green Growth in Dynamic Asia project explores how to promote green growth in rapidly urbanising cities in Asia, examining policies and governance practices that encourage competitiveness and greening of their rapidly expanding economies. Five case studies have been conducted, in Bangkok (Thailand), Hai Phong (Viet Nam), Bandung, Iskandar Malaysia (Malaysia) and Cebu (Philippines). This report synthesises the findings of the case studies.

Details of the project can be found here.

14:30 - 16:00

Session A. Resillient infrastructure: Innovative approaches (Joint session with the World Bank) - Room CC4

Urban infrastructure is under significant pressure in the face of increasing population density, climate change, and economic growth. As countries aspire to invest in efficient cities, roads, housing, education and health systems need to promote green growth. Acting early is essential to ensure resilience and avoid locking into long-lasting and unsustainable urban forms. This session considers the environmental and economic challenges of infrastructure development given the increasing uncertainty and risks related to its development. It explores opportunities for innovation in ensuring the resilience and sustainability of urban forms. The session is jointly organized with the World Bank to align with their hosting of the 2017 Green Growth Knowledge Platform Annual Conference on resilient and sustainable infrastructure.

Moderator: Dr. Marianne Fay, Chief Economist for Climate Change, World Bank

Panellists: 

• Ms. Julie Rozenberg, Economist, World Bank
• Ms. Lola Vallejo, Policy Analyst, Environment Directorate, OECD
• Dr. Pheakdey Heng, Policy Lead, Global Green Growth Institute, Cambodia
• Mr. Keywan Riahi, Energy Program Director, International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis
  

Session B. Tracking progress on urban green growth and Sustainable Development Goals: Data, information and indicators - Room CC16

While policies to promote urban green growth have been implemented in many cities, the effective measurement of the policy impacts and the tracking of progress remains a challenge. While the OECD has developed a set of green growth indicators, there have been relatively few attempts to apply them to the subnational level. This session considers what needs to be measured - given the cross-sectoral nature of urban green growth – and discusses the challenge of comparability. It also considers how measurement efforts can be aligned with the broader international agenda including the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda.

Moderator: Mr. Shardul Agrawala, Head of Division, Environment Directorate, OECD

Panellists: 

• Ms. Myriam Linster, Environmental Performance & Information, Environment Directorate, OECD
• Ms. Monica Brezzi, Regional Analysis & Statistics, Public Governance & Territorial Development, OECD 
• Prof. Seong Woo Jeon, Environmental Science & Ecological Engineering, Korea University
• Ms. Kookie Habtegaber, Green Economy Adviser, formerly Global Lead at WWF

Session C. Towards win-win solutions for "inclusive" and "green" cities and the C40 (Co-organised with the OECD Inclusive Growth in Cities Initiative) - Room CC18

Rising inequalities, poor quality of services, fragmented labour markets, and non-inclusive institutions challenge the capacity of cities to grow inclusively. The integration of economy-wide and local policy measures are needed in order to build cities that are both socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable. To increase awareness of rising inequalities and refocus the debate on concrete solutions, the OECD, together with the Ford Foundation, launched the Inclusive Growth in Cities Campaign. This session will invite participants to address a critical challenge for policy makers: how can cities better align the climate and inclusion agendas? It will explore challenges and potential opportunities that emerge by combining local efforts to boost inclusion - expanding affordable housing, transport accessibility, education and job opportunities - with the objectives of green and low-carbon growth. The discussion will contribute to the second meeting of the initiative to be held in Paris on 21 November.

Moderator: Ms. Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director for the Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs and Local Development (CFE) and Coordinator of the Inclusive Growth in Cities Initiative

Panellists: 

• Joshua Alpert, Director of Special Projects, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
• Mr. Salin Geevarghese, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
• Mr. Richard Baron, Principal Advisor, Round Table on Sustainable Development, OECD
• Ms. Virginie Marchal, Policy Advisor, Aligning Policies for the Transition to a Low-carbon Economy (APT), OECD

Session D. The impact of tax policies on land use outcomes - Room CC2

The taxation of income, property, transport and energy at all government levels can have a significant impact on land-use, real-estate development, urban sprawl and therefore environmental performance (air pollution and GHG emissions). Property taxes can be designed to encourage the development of denser cities, or promote single-occupancy housing. Subnational-specific income tax rates may affect land use patterns. Tax provisions that favour home ownership may also impact city shape and mobility. Parking fees and taxes on urban road use may affect accessibility and improve air-quality. Thus careful consideration is required in the development and implementation of tax policies. This session discusses the implications of a wide-range of taxation policies at all government levels and the role in shaping urban green growth, and considers the role that taxation can play in providing revenues for green urban investments and other financing issues.

Moderator: Mr. Kurt van Dender, Centre for Tax Policy and Admin, OECD

Speakers:

• Prof. Jos van Ommeren, Spatial Economics, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Mr. Alowin Moes, Senior Economist, Swiss Federal Tax Administration, Switzerland
• Mr. Hansjörg Blöchliger, Senior Economist, Economics Department, OECD
• Mr. Rudiger Ahrend, Head of Urban Policy, Public Governance & Territorial Development, OECD

16:30 - 17:30 Reporting Back from Parallel Sessions and Closing Remarks - Room CC4

Moderators from Parallel Sesisons A, B, C and D will provide key findings and possible areas of work.

Moderator: Mr. Douglas Frantz, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD

OECD Response and Next Steps: 

• Mr. Luiz de Mello, Deputy Director, Public Governance & Territorial Development, OECD
• Mr. Shardul Agrawala, Head of Division, Environment Directorate, OECD

Closing remarks:  Mr. Douglas Frantz, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD