From 2021-2025, the Council on Urban Initiatives was a leading research and advocacy platform co-led by LSE Cities, UCL Institution for Innovation and Public Purpose, and UN-Habitat. To cement its learnings, the Council has summarised it’s key insights into a final report.
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Council Co-Chairs Ricky Burdett and Mariana Mazzucato share a letter celebrating the initiative and its legacy:
Bringing urban leaders who have transformed their cities – from Barcelona to Bogota – together with activists, thinkers and practitioners creates a real opportunity to reimagine the way cities are planned and decisions are made to make cities fairer, healthier and greener.
Constituted initially by an international group of 18 pioneering mayors, practitioners, designers, activists and academics, the Council on Urban Initiatives (the Council) was launched in 2021 with the aim of positioning urban issues at the heart of global debates; influencing agendas at the highest levels of the international community; and promoting experimentation for progressive policymaking at the city level. The Council has been generously supported by Impact on Urban Health.
Centred on the interconnected themes of the just, green and healthy city, the Council’s work has been guided by three main objectives: accelerating the pace and scale of urban change by highlighting barriers and new approaches; supporting the international community to advocate for cities; and engaging wider audiences in shaping urban agendas and futures.
Until its close in March 2025, the Council on Urban Initiatives convened members to discuss how to achieve health, sustainability and social justice in the urban context, culminating in five major reports.
Highlight events include keynote sessions such as ‘Shaping Equitable Urban Futures’ at the 11th World Urban Forum in Katowice, Poland, and at the UN-Habitat Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya; in Europe at the International Social Housing Festival in Barcelona, Spain, and at the Healthy City Design International Congress in Liverpool, UK. As part of its goal to engage in forums beyond traditional policymaking spaces, the Council co-hosted a symposium as part of the 2023 La Biennale di Venezia’s 18th International Architecture Exhibition. ‘Governing, Designing and Educating Urban Futures’ brought together mayors, social scientists, designers and educators to discuss how innovations in urban governance, planning and education can bring about transformative change, with an emphasis on socially progressive narratives.
This report summarises the key insights generated by the Council’s research and reflections, offering lessons to urban leaders across the globe to be even more ambitious and develop the skills to affect transformative change.
The Council’s contributions to the narrative of cities worldwide are already informing new streams of work. We hope its legacy will live on and evolve through new partnerships bringing together research and practice to drive urban change toward the just, sustainable, healthy city.
Ricky Burdett and Mariana Mazzucato
Co-Chairs, Council on Urban Initiatives
Council on Urban Initiatives members at the 2023 La Biennale di Venezia’s 18th International Architecture Exhibition.
Key reports included:
The Council’s legacy continues to inform LSE Cities’ ongoing research and education. Our 2024 report on Public Innovation in European Cities builds on the Council's frameworks and case studies on mission-oriented innovation. It outlines the state of innovation in urban Europe and highlights the capabilities that local governments must yet develop in order to tackle 21st century challenges and deliver the just, healthy green cities of the future.