The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) has completed its role as Secretariat for the pilot phase of the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Coalition (CSCC), helping transform Commonwealth commitments on sustainable urbanisation into practical action across member countries.
Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the pilot programme supported implementation of the Commonwealth Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation and brought together a coalition of partners including the ACU, Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), Commonwealth Engineers’ Council (CEC) and The King’s Foundation.
In less than five months, the Coalition delivered an impressive body of work, producing 49 outputs designed to support more sustainable, resilient and inclusive cities across the Commonwealth. These included 31 case studies, seven policy briefs and recommendations, and 11 reports covering critical themes such as housing, urban finance, integrated planning and skills development.
At the heart of the programme, the ACU coordinated activities and led the ACU Sustainable Urbanisation Expert Group, bringing together specialists from 12 ACU member universities across nine Commonwealth countries. The group explored how higher education institutions can address the skills and capacity gaps that often limit climate-resilient urban development.
The Expert Group’s work generated valuable insights into the role universities can play in shaping sustainable cities, including mapping more than 7,000 examples of urban-related higher education provision across over 1,300 universities in 47 Commonwealth countries.
The ACU also launched a Commonwealth-wide Sustainable Built Environment Survey, which attracted 101 responses from 73 institutions in 28 countries, and developed nine case studies showcasing successful collaboration between universities and urban development practitioners.
To strengthen research in this area, the ACU introduced the CSCC Grant for member institutions. The award was granted to Dr Patrick Owoche of Kibabii University, Kenya, whose research developed a methodology to assess how well higher education provision aligns with the competency needs of Kenya’s devolved governance system.
The ACU also enhanced the Coalition’s digital presence by refreshing the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative’s website and creating a dedicated CSCC resource hub where stakeholders can access the programme’s growing collection of case studies, reports and policy recommendations.
The pilot phase concluded with the CSCC closing meeting on 31 March, which attracted more than 100 participants from across the Commonwealth. Opened by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the event brought together Expert Group members, High Commissions, FCDO representatives, partner organisations and other stakeholders to share key findings and discuss future opportunities for collaboration.
Looking ahead, partners will continue engagement in the lead-up to CHOGM 2026, while the ACU will award three new Expert Group Grants to support university-led projects that advance sustainable urbanisation across the Commonwealth.
Building on the momentum of the pilot programme, the Coalition’s work has demonstrated the vital contribution universities can make in helping cities respond to some of the most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges of our time.
Read the Summary of Expert Group activities and key findings