Building Inclusive Cities: Advancing GEDSI in Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure

Schedule:

Arrival and registration from 12:30pm

13:00 - Event begins

14:30 - Event close, Cofee & Networking begins

15:00 - Networking ends (see here for next session)

Event details:

When developing future-proof urban infrastructure that builds resilience of communities, considerations of Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) are critical. By incorporating GEDSI principles, urban infrastructure can be designed to ensure that vulnerable groups, including women, people with disabilities, and marginalised communities, have equal access to essential services and infrastructure. This approach supports their immediate needs and equips them to withstand the long-term impacts of climate shocks and stresses.

The integration of GEDSI principles throughout the infrastructure lifecycle remains inconsistent. Advancing resilient and sustainable urban infrastructure requires embedding these principles at every stage of development, through technology, design, policy, and standards. This event will showcase best practice examples, highlighting solutions that build community resilience and are holistic, transferable, and inclusive at their core.

It will also:

• Explore the role of participatory planning, highlighting the value of involving underrepresented groups in planning and design phases to ensure that infrastructure meets diverse needs.

• Emphasise the need for disaggregated data (by gender, ability, socio-economic status) to inform planning, measure outcomes, and track equity in infrastructure development.

• Frame infrastructure as a tool for climate justice, where equitable access mitigates historical injustices and uneven exposure to climate risks.

• Look at technology for inclusion and consider how innovations can be designed with accessibility in mind.

• Explore how inclusive infrastructure contributes to local economies by creating jobs, supporting small businesses (especially women- or minority-owned), and reducing barriers to economic participation.

• Discuss how local governments and institutions can mainstream GEDSI in infrastructure, e.g. through training and policy frameworks.

These insights will align with ICSI’s upcoming 2025 edition of the Climate Resilient Infrastructure Report, which will highlight GEDSI as a critical dimension of resilience and showcase global case studies that champion this approach.

This event supports the Race to Resilience campaign, which seeks to build the resilience of 4 billion people to the impacts of climate change by 2030.

Event partners: Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), Climate Champions Team