NEWS
Umeå Municipality and Umeå University will deepen their cooperation. A joint declaration of intent is to make Umeå the "Northern power for sustainable urban development." The agreement was signed today in connection with "Hard Rain: Whole Earth?", an open conference on global sustainability at Aula Nordica, Umeå University.
“Together with the university and local business, we are taking another step forward to develop Umeå and the northern region with the aim of a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable society,” said Lennart Holmlund, municipal commissioner of Umeå.
“Meeting today’s social challenges with long-term sustainable solutions requires knowledge and cooperation. Umeå Municipality’s and Umeå University’s different roles complete each other well,” said Lena Gustafsson, vice-chancellor at Umeå University. “We are looking forward to the enhanced cooperation, a cooperation which already has a long history.”
Press Conference
Lennart Holmlund and Lena Gustafsson signed the letter of intent at a press conference on Tuesday, 18 September.
Some participants of the conference "Hard Rain: Whole Earth?" were also present: Mark Edwards, founder of the Hard Rain Project, Lena Ag, Secretary General of Kvinna till Kvinna, and Maria Nilsson, researcher in epidemiology och global health. The press conference was hosted by Ingvar Rönnbäck.
Increased collaboration and new venues
Central points of the cooperation are research and development for sustainable urban development, both on a national and international level, and venues for research, society and industry to highlight and emphasise Umeå's expertise in this field.
Application for funding
The partners will also cooperate to increase external funding of Umeå's joint efforts for sustainable development. During the autumn, the Swedish government is expected to make a decision about financing a national initiative on sustainable urban development in some places in the country, and Umeå is one of the candidates. EU investment in sustainable urban development is also expected during the years 2014 to 2020.
Noteworthy projects
Umeå is working with sustainable urban development in many ways. Some high-profile projects are Energy efficient construction in cold climates, hybrid buses in local public transport, and Sustainable Ålidhem, which aims to reduce energy consumption in the city district of Ålidhem, to create a pleasant and safer outdoor environment and to transform the area into a sustainable district.
Conference on Global Sustainability
The letter of intent was signed in connection with "Hard Rain: Whole Earth?", an open conference for equitable and sustainable global development on Tuesday, 18 September at Aula Nordica, Umeå University. Representatives from international organisations, scientists and experts in sustainable development gave their views on global sustainability, the results of Rio +20 and climate negotiations in view of what needs to be done for a just and sustainable global development.
The conference is part of SEE (Västerbotten sustainability week), and co-organised by Globala Västerbotten, Region Västerbotten, Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency), the County Administrative Board of Västerbotten, Umeå University and Umeå Municipality.
