A pioneering project to measure carbon emissions, energy, water and waste across Sydney’s 33 metropolitan council areas has been recognised with top honours at the 2019 Smart City awards.
The Resilient Sydney Platform, a collaboration between Resilient Sydney, City of Sydney and Kinesis, received the overall award for the Best Smart City Project and the environmental outcomes category at Doltone House, Hyde Park on 19 September.
The Smart City Awards were established by the Committee for Sydney in conjunction with PAYCE to celebrate projects that address the growing challenges faced by cities, governments, communities, industry and the ICT sector.
The platform is a project of the Resilient Sydney Strategy released in 2018, which called for an environmental reporting platform that could be used by councils across the Sydney metropolitan area.
Deputy Chief Resilience Officer for metropolitan Sydney Kristin Gabriel says the award is a testament to cooperation and collaboration of many organisations in Sydney.
“This platform will help Sydney’s 33 metropolitan councils track their environmental performance, better plan for future communities and decide how to take action,” Ms Gabriel said.
“It gives them a standardised evidence base for decision-making, while also enabling collaboration, action and advocacy.
“This platform is the result of innovative technology developed by Kinesis and expertise and investment provided by the City of Sydney. We thank them for their contribution.
“We’d also like to thank the Resilient Sydney Steering Committee, Sydney’s 33 metropolitan councils and the NSW Government for enabling this project through support and collaboration.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City of Sydney was happy to support the project with investment and expertise to enable councils across metropolitan Sydney to develop place-based targets. “The City of Sydney was proud to be accepted into the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities program and take a leading role on Resilient Sydney. The small team has achieved so much over the last five years and I congratulate them on their inspiring work,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Resilient Sydney is an example of the outstanding results we can achieve when State Government, councils and the community come together.”
Resilient Sydney ran a series of workshops in partnership with the NSW Government to help councils navigate the platform, access reports and use it for decision making.
Workshops also facilitated council collaboration, information sharing and exploring best practice to develop effective place-based interventions.
As of September 2019, 140 strategic planners, environmental managers and general managers representing all the 33 councils of metropolitan Sydney are using the Resilient Sydney platform.
Resilient Sydney extends congratulations to all 33 Mayors and Councils of Sydney, and thank the Committee for Sydney for their acknowledgement.
To find out more, visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/vision/sustainable-sydney-2030/resilient-sydney
For media inquiries or images, contact Alice Simpson-Young.
Phone mobile 9246 7350 or email asimpsonyoung@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
About Resilient Sydney
Resilient Sydney is a program aligned to the 100 Resilient Cities initiative pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation. The program is local government led and hosted by the City of Sydney on behalf of all the councils of metropolitan Sydney.
The Resilient Sydney Strategy (2018) is the first resilience strategy for metropolitan Sydney which calls for business, government, academia, communities and individuals to lead and work as one city.
The Strategy lays out a set of five directions and 35 tangible actions Sydney can take to build resilience and strengthen the city’s ability to survive, adapt and thrive in the face of global uncertainty and local shocks and chronic stresses. Resilient Sydney’s vision for Sydney is a metropolis that is connected, inclusive and resilient.
The Resilient Sydney strategy was developed with an unprecedented level of voluntary cooperation and collaboration across Sydney. The process involved all 33 metropolitan councils in consultation with over 1,000 residents and 100 businesses, government and community organisations over three years of effort.
The program is a true collaboration with a metropolitan Steering Committee of leaders governing the program from the metropolitan councils of Sydney, the New South Wales state government, business and community partners.
The Resilient Sydney Office is a small team led by the Chief Resilience Officer providing secretariat, research, strategy development and facilitation of actions and collaboration. Resilient Sydney is hosted by the City of Sydney on behalf of Sydney. The program is funded by the local governments of Sydney.
To find out more, visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/vision/sustainable-sydney-2030/resilient-sydney