The Solutions Gateway is an online resource platform for Local Governments where they are able to find possible Low Emissions Development (LED) Solutions for their cities. It contains sectoral and cross-sectoral packages of activities, structured along Local Governments’ responsibilities and spheres of influence, to support cities in the development of low-emission strategies, plans, and projects. The Solutions Gateway contents are based on proven technologies and practices, distilled into Solutions and Solution Packages which are drafted by experts of the respective field, and peer-reviewed. This resource was developed under the Urban-LEDS project, funded by the European Union, and jointly implemented by ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability and UN-Habitat. Initially, it was only available for the 37 Urban-LEDS project cities (July 2014 - March 2015). Since April 2015, it is accessible for use by all interested local governments.

Some of the main actions where the Solutions Gateway can support your city in its path towards Low Emissions development are:

• Identify possible options for Low Emissions Development Strategies and projects;
• Contribute to pre-feasibility assessment of projects;
• Once a project has been selected, identification of financial options available for implementation;
• Estimate mitigation potential of Solutions;
• Set-up an MRV system (Measurement, Reporting and Verification) of mitigation results as well as of other sustainable development benefits;
• Identify Experts who can provide further support.

In the context of the Solutions Gateway, a Solution is a process, or coherent groups of actions, which Local Governments can implement to deliver climate change mitigation results and enhance local sustainable development. Taking an integrated approach, and focusing on Local Governments usual responsibilities and roles, Solutions include core actions as well as enabler and multiplier actions essential to maximize their effectiveness and efficiency. These measures include policy, regulatory, governance, capacity building, awareness raising, stakeholder engagement, etc.

In the context of the Solutions Gateway, a Solutions Package is a group of Solutions under a given theme, clustered to generate synergies and maximize results and long term impacts.

In the context of the Solutions Gateway, case studies are examples of the implementation of Solutions and/or Solutions Packages by cities. These cases can include brief inspirational examples, as well as detailed examples supported by extensive quantitative data analysis.

Yes. The Solutions Gateway advanced contents are based on proven technologies and practices. These are distilled into Solutions and Solution Packages which are drafted and peer-reviewed by experts of the respective field. To learn which experts were engaged in the development of a particular Solution or Package, see the list of authors indicated in the respective webpage.

The content of the Solutions Gateway is being progressively expanded. The contents which were given priority for development correspond to the LEDS priorities identified by the Urban-LEDS model and satellite cities. As of August 2014, the following Solutions and Solution Packages are available:

Theme	Package	Solutions	Status
Water	Resource-efficient Urban Water Supply	Integrated urban water resources management	Available
		Energy-efficient municipal water supply systems	Available
		Water-losses reduction in municipal water supply systems	Available
	Rational Use of Water by end consumer	Rational use of water in Local Government´s operations	Coming soon
		Rational use of water in the residential and services sectors	Coming soon
	Sustainable stormwater management	Storm water management in private lots and developments	Available
		Storm water retention and infiltration at city-scale	Available
Solid Waste	Sustainable Solid Waste Management	Integrated solid waste management	Available
		Waste reduction at the source	Coming soon
		Recycling / Material recovery	Coming soon
		Centralized composting / Organic recovery	To be confirmed
		Integration of the informal waste sector	To be confirmed
	Turning Waste into energy	Landfill gas recovery	Available
		Waste incineration with energy recovery	Available
		Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge	Available
Transport	Sustainable Urban Transport	Urban Transport Performance Measurement	Available
		Transit Oriented Development	Available
		Parking Management	Coming soon
		Public Transport Development	Coming soon
		Non-Motorized Transport	Coming soon
	Urban freight transport system	To be defined	To be developed
Buildings	Energy efficiency in existing Buildings	Energy management in municipal buildings	Coming soon
		Public buildings energy-efficient retrofitting	To be developed
		Social housing energy-efficient retrofitting	To be developed
		Green buildings performance and certification	To be developed
		Energy-efficient building retrofitting at community-scale	To be developed
		Historic buildings?	To be confirmed
		Natural refrigerants in Air Conditioning systems in LG´s Buildings	Available
	Energy efficiency in New Buildings	Low-carbon New Developments / Compact development	To be developed
		Energy efficient new municipal buildings	To be developed
		Energy efficient new buildings at community-scale	To be developed
		Bioclimatic architecture / passive buildings	To be developed
		Zero-energy buildings	To be confirmed
		Green buildings performance and certification	To be developed
		Natural refrigerants in Air Conditioning systems in LG´s Buildings	Available
	Solar Hot Water	Solar hot water in municipal buildings and facilities	Available
		Solar hot water in private buildings and facilities	Available
Energy Utilities	District energy	District heating	Coming soon
		District cooling	To be developed
		District heating with decentralized production	To be developed
		Interconnected energy networks (heat/cold/electricity)	To be developed
Cross cutting themes	Low Emission Urban Planning	Urban Infill Development	Available
		Low carbon redevelopment	Coming soon
		Low carbon new development	Under development
		Integrated Land use and Transportation planning	Under development
		Storm water management in private lots and developments	Available
		Storm water retention and infiltration at city-scale	Available
	Green economy	Sustainable procurement	Available
	Smart urban infrastructure	(Several Solutions)	Under development
Local Gov. operations	Energy-efficient street lighting	(Several Solutions)	Under development
	Municipal Buildings and facilities	Energy management in municipal buildings	Coming soon
	Municipal fleets	To be defined	To be confirmed

During the development phase, the Solutions Gateway was open to Urban-LEDS project cities only, meaning that only these could register and login to gain full access to the contents. Since April 2015, the Solutions Gateway contents and interactive functionalities are available to all interested local governments, free of charge. Note that registration is available only for local governments and selected partner organizations. The case studies and Solution Packages are public and accessible to all interested parties.

Consultants that support local governments with whom ICLEI has a working relationship may also be granted access as long as a confirmation of this support is given by the local governments themselves or by ICLEI offices.

1. Register to get full access to contents and functionalities (see "Who can use the Solutions Gateway?" for information on restrictions)
2. Start browsing by Solutions, Packages or Case studies, where you can filter by theme OR use the advanced search function to filter results using different criteria.
3. Once you have login and access a Solution's webpage you can click to expand the sections, and browse the full contents. In addition you can:
• Share your experiences and success in the implementation of a Solution by clicking on the button "report results"
• Contribute to the Solution by clicking on the button "Submit materials", for example by sharing a case study that documents the results and benefits that your community achieved
• Use the Pool of Experts discussion group in LinkedIn to ask specific implementation questions or contact experts that can support you in the implementation of that particular Solution
4. Contact ICLEI using the general email address indicated or through your closest ICLEI Regional or Country Office.

Several resources are available to guide you:

1. This FAQ webpage
2. Online tutorial
3. Online contact form.
4. Pose questions to experts through the Pool of Experts discussion groups in LinkedIn. If you already have a LinkedIn account, visit the group's webpage to join. If you do not have a LinkedIn account you can request to join this group by writing an email to [email protected]
5. Contact your ICLEI Regional or Country Office.

Supporters of the Solutions Gateway are organizations that have contributed to the enrichment of the platform through one, or several, of the following actions:

• Development or peer-review of Solutions and/or Packages;
• Provide case studies that document implementation of Solutions and/or Packages;
• Provide tools or other relevant resources;
• Nominate experts for inclusion in the Pool of experts;
• Others.

Visit the Supporters webpage to see the current list of Solutions Gateway Supporters. If your organization has expertise and resources which would be of value for the Solutions Gateway, we welcome your proposal (contact: [email protected]).

For full details visit the terms of use of the Solutions Gateway.

In the Urban-LEDS project, jointly implemented by ICLEI and UN-Habitat, the Pool of Experts is created as a global multi-disciplinary network of professionals who can provide Local Governments with necessary support and expertise when developing urban Low Carbon Development Strategies (LEDS). This theme requires a wide range of expertise and skill sets from many different themes and sectors to help outline the strategic direction, offer specific technical support, guide organizational improvements (process and structure), as well as provide financial advice or build capacity to develop bankable project concepts. Not only energy, transport, buildings, waste, smart urban infrastructure, urban planning, etc.. are relevant. The focus on low emission development / climate change mitigation also links to many socio-economic and sustainability issues which should be considered when aiming to achieve win-win solutions for the wider community and the local government.

Experts may be invited to deliver workshops, to provide support for project implementation in project cities, and to develop resources which may be useful for overall project implementation such as case studies, content for the Solutions Gateway, and tools.

The Pool of Experts is created in an existing online framework used by many professionals, namely as a closed LinkedIn group managed by ICLEI. This is a free platform for professionals who add their profiles online, including information they wish to share and manage. As such it offers a neutral platform to search for / offer specific expertise. This is not a pool for companies, only for individuals. Calls for technical assistance will be listed on the Urban-LEDS website for a limited timeframe. Those experts that do not wish to add a profile on LinkedIn can also provide their CV and outline available expertise to ICLEI.

No. There is no commitment to hire anyone. This is just a simple facilitation process between target groups, aimed at identifying potentially useful contacts. Connection and follow-up is done at own discretion.

If you already have a LinkedIn account, visit the group's webpage and click the "Join" button. If you do not have a LinkedIn account you can request to join this group by writing an email to [email protected]

Yes. This is the most direct way to gain access to the experts on strategy, technology and finance that have joined the Pool of Experts. It enables you to network and to actively participate in the discussions. At the same time it also enables you to profile yourself and share your expertise with other cities across the globe.

• Visibility as an expert towards potential clients
• Opportunities to develop partnerships, and for knowledge sharing and technology transfer.
• Visibility and recognition for your work and expertise.
• Opportunity to promote your ideas and solutions near decision-makers, particularly in fast growing cities in emerging economy countries.

No. Experts participate as individuals, although they may be associated with the private sector. By joining the Pool of Experts, experts commit to providing independent advice.