Page 9 - U4SSC Factsheet Ålesund, Norway, June 2020

• To combat climate change and air pollution, Ålesund should continue to bring greenhouse gas
emissions (GHGs) down as part of the Paris Agreement, under which Norway has committed to a
target of at least 40 per cent reduction of GHGs by 2030 compared to 1990 levels .
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• Ålesund performs very well across KPIs for public space and nature, environmental quality, although
these can be optimized through additional green spaces. ITU recommendations in the K-series can
provide further recommendations into limiting and managing the effects of EMFs.

• Ålesund should evaluate peak day and time water consumption trends, in addition to the overall
demand and production trends – considering seasonal temperature and precipitation trends. It
is recommended that the Region evaluates its wastewater treatment policies, measurement and
reporting mechanisms. ITU Supplements such as ITU-T L Suppl. 14: ITU-T L.1500 ‘Standardization
gap analysis for smart water management’ and ITU-T L Suppl. 15: ITU-T L.1500 series: ‘Requirements
for water sensing and early warning systems’ should be utilized by cities when actualizing smart
water management.
• Best practices such as enhancing, reinforcing public communication and outreach, evaluating
contracts, recycling markets and pricing levels, modifying collection techniques, legislating/funding
smart recycling and leveraging lessons learned regionally can help Ålesund to continue to develop its
recycling capability and culture further, which should be a focus of its future sustainability strategy.
• It is recommended that the region encourages best practices in energy management through
appropriate policies, incentives and procedures. ITU Recommendations that guide the modernization
and optimization of various public energy use sources should be utilized, including, for example,
Recommendation ITU-T Y.4458 ‘Requirements and functional architecture of a smart street light
service’.

• Within the Society and Culture dimension, KPIs are widely reached thanks to a high adult literacy
rate, positive health-related outcomes and a wide range of national government-funded cultural
offerings.

• Ålesund considers the upcoming merger of five municipalities within the region into a single
Municipality of Ålesund as of 2020 to be the perfect opportunity to utilize the U4SSC KPIs to
better define the region’s collective goals and strategies (e.g. those related to its desired regional
environment, land use and transport plans) within its new master plan.

• The development of the regional environment, land use and mode of transport plan is a top priority
for Ålesund. This effort will be a platform for cooperation within the regional partnership, which
will make sure that the current sustainability strategies will work well when the existing seven
municipalities merge into three.

• It is recommended that Ålesund focuses its efforts on further developing certain key economic
sectors, including its tourism, transport and technology sectors, as part of its SSC goals.

• It is recommended that Ålesund reviews the KPIs reported at the lowest levels of the benchmarks, in
particular: water supply loss; private vehicles; shared transportation; public building sustainability;
water and electricity consumption; and wastewater treatment.
• Ålesund should work closely with other cities on its SSC efforts in order to leverage any best
practices and their shared experience with developing and instituting smart and sustainable policies
and initiatives in the region.

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