Italy-UK Partnership

PARTNERSHIP | Autumn 2020 22 T he Manchester City Council declared a climate emergency in July 2019 and set a new goal for the region to tackle the environment issue: a zero carbon Manchester by 2038 (a step forward compared to the national 2050 target). To achieve the purpose, bold plans involving not just the public sector but also businesses and individuals were set up. In March 2020, a Zero-Carbon Action Plan was approved, setting the goal to achieve a 50% reduction in CO2 emission in the next 5 years. This was not the first initiative taking place in the area; for example, between 2017 and 2020, 56 thousand low energy LEDS were installed (or are planned to be in the near future) as streetlights, at a cost of £32.8m. Moreover, a £26m shared heat network for council-owned buildings, such as the Town Hall, Central Library and Manchester Central, and some private properties, is to be installed with the objective of cutting costs and emissions. In 2019, the 5-year environment plan for Greater Manchester was launched. This project will allow not only an improvement for the environment, like cleaner air, but also economic and health benefits, such as lower energy bills, new jobs and less pressure on the health system. The imminent need for a change is in the air, as shown by the growing number of protests on the matter, even though it is not expected to happen overnight. Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, when commenting on the plan back in 2018, said that they needed to act in order to change the future and innovate it, showing future generations that they understood the threats and fought them. Furthermore, the Manchester City Council promotes environmental support for small and medium-sized businesses, Green Growth, that is part of the Business Growth Hub. The support plan, while reducing the environmental impact of the companies, helps them grow and increase their profits. THE GROWGREEN PROJECT The Manchester City Council is coordinating Grow Green, a project founded by the EU Horizon 2020 programme with seven partner cities, aimed at creating climate and water resilient, healthy and liveable cities by investing in nature-based solutions. The £11.5m project will develop a replicable approach for the implementation of city green strategies. Manchester will deliver a local park in West Gorton, demonstrating how green infrastructure in urban areas can improve flood resilience. The project will be replicable, letting experts improve techniques and sharing the results internationally. Thanks to the project’s collaborations, Manchester will use specialist technical resources from international experts, that will allow a more advanced approach to the matters. THE IGNITION PROJECT The IGNITION project, that will run until 2021, was funded by more than £4m by the EU’s Urban Innovation Actions initiative and is supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and other 11 entities, between local governments, NGOs and universities, such as Manchester and Salford universities. It is aimed at A greener Manchester An example of prime and progressive vision