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The Leadership in Community Resilience Program

The Sustainable Cities Institute at the National League of Cities has launched the Leadership in Community Resilience program, bringing together 10 cities to help local officials, city staff, and community partners share their experiences and advance local resilience efforts. Visit this site for updates as the pilot project runs through the end of 2017.

What I Learned at the U.S.-China Low-Carbon Cities Summit in Beijing

Mayor Cindy Lerner of Pinecrest, Florida shares her experience at the second annual US-China Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities Summit. Convened in Beijing this June, the Summit was attended by more than 1000 people, including 49 Chinese cities as well as 18 U.S. cities, states, and counties.

SolSmart Helps Cities Remove Barriers to Solar Energy

The Sustainable Cities Institute is proud to be part of the SolSmart team, helping cities throughout the United States capitalize on a booming solar energy market and providing citizens the option of cheaper, renewable energy. On September 26th, SolSmart recognized the first 22 communities to receive designation for removing barriers to solar energy and making it easier and more affordable for homes and businesses to install solar. Additionally, SolSmart will empower new communities to become solar leaders and achieve a designation through no-cost technical assistance provided by the Sustainable Cities Institute and a team of national solar experts. On October 25th, the National League of Cities recognized the winners and participates of the SolSmart Cities Challenge. Sixteen cities participated by filling out a SolSmart designation scorecard to document their solar-friendly processes. Fremont, California and Kansas City, Missouri were the winners, accumulating the highest verified point totals.

Cities-LEAP Project and Energy Strategies

Cities Leading through Energy Analysis and Planning (LEAP) is focused on helping cities integrate energy analysis and data into their strategic decision making, aiding communities in setting climate or energy goals, implementing energy strategies, learning from a network of other communities, and making data-driven energy decisions. If you are staff or a representative from a local government, visit the Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy website to respond to the Request For Information about how your city uses data in energy-related decisions.

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The Sustainable Cities Institute has a range of resources for those just getting started, as well as those who have been working on these issues for years.

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Welcome to the Sustainable Cities Institute!

Read NLC President Mayor Chris Coleman's Welcome Letter

The National League of Cities' Sustainable Cities Institute provides cities and sustainability professionals with timely, vetted, and practical resources to identify and implement solutions to advance their goals and strengthen their communities. Whether your city is just getting started or has an experienced history and commitment to sustainability, the robust collections of city profiles, case studies, model policies, and communication tools found here will provide elected leaders, staff, and engaged stakeholders with a set of resources to guide and catalyze action across a range of topics such as: