Scottish Cities Alliance

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council-owned company. Private sector or public sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself. Councils are uniquely placed to effect change in response to the climate crisis. This award is intended to mark excellence in any aspect of a council’s work in addressing the carbon footprint of the council, its services and its broader local area. Entries may include work to capture climate benefits from changed behaviours or work with local businesses and communities to address the climate crisis, to both enable economic growth and secure environmental improvements. Entries will be judged on the innovation of their submissions, the extent to which it has delivered measurable change, the quality of evidence of support from local communities, and the ability for other councils to replicate the work.

The Scotland’s 8th City – the Smart City ERDF programme involves seven Scottish cities collaborating on smart and sustainable initiatives using data and digital technology. In doing this, cities are delivering strategic priorities through innovation, integration of service delivery, and stakeholder engagement. There are 41 projects across the programme, with cities committed to initiatives which are open, scalable, replicable and interoperable. Partners are also committed to knowledge exchange, mutual support and the sharing of learning and assets. In working together, 8th City partners have a vision to become more attractive, liveable and resilient cities through data and digital technology.