In zero draft form, theUN’s New Urban Agenda outlines a fantastic vision for cities. It speaks of inclusion, equality, transit-oriented development and safety. But how do we get there? What does a “blueprint of the city” actually look like? We see three steps to policymaking that ensures any policy is implementable.

The Department of Energy is usually a supporting player in international efforts to contain warming, but it steps into the spotlight later this month to host the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) in California. The 24-country event in the San Francisco Bay Area marks the first time energy ministers will come together to swap clean power and efficiency ideas since last year’s landmark Paris climate deal.

Over the past decade, China has been undergoing the biggest adoption of alternative fuels for transportation, ever. This transition isn’t being led by green cars like the Tesla or the new lines of “eco” buses, but by e-bikes — electric bicycles.

As renewable energy becomes increasingly urgent, nuclear energy shouldn’t be discounted. In fact, it should be embraced according to Andy Karsner, managing partner at Emerson Collective and a senior strategist at Google’s moonshot lab.

It’s easy to assume our transition from coal to natural gas is the biggest contributor to our decline in carbon dioxide emissions. However, significant evidence shows the acceleration of renewable energy and energy efficiency has contributed far more than natural gas.

By comparing electricity rates instead of bills, many inaccurately believe higher levels of renewables make electricity costlier. Outdated data or conservative cost assumptions for energy sources also tarnish renewable energy’s reputation as a cost-effective option.

While it is true that overgeneration of renewable energy can cause reliability problems, curtailment (shutting off excess generation) is often unnecessary and expensive. When examining renewables generation, it’s important to consider variability across multiple regions.

Fears about a “duck curve,” when large shares of renewables create ramping problems during parts of the day, are overblown. Myriad solutions like demand response can compensate for the variability created by increasing shares of renewables on the grid.

Does a solution to San Francisco’s housing affordability and transportation challenges already exist 6,000 miles away? A policy innovation already working in Brazil could increase our housing supply while generating billions for public transit investment.

Rooftop solar and other distributed energy resources (DER) like efficiency or energy storage provide a stack of benefits to the grid. But most utilities have no meaningful method to compare the value of DER to that of traditional power plants providing the same services. We need much more granular information about local needs to understand and capture the precise value of DER.

When utilities and grid operators think about power system flexibility — the ability of the grid to respond to sudden changes in supply and demand — two technologies typically get the most attention; fast-ramping natural gas and battery storage. However, there are a number of cheaper options for grid flexibility that stakeholders would do well to explore.

Gas has played a big part in stabilizing US emissions, but its days as a ‘bridge fuel’ are numbered. While utilities can meet their current regulatory goals by building out natural gas generation, they will soon have to start using less of it to meet long-term national goals for zero net emissions.

The communities in which we live strongly shape (and are shaped by) our wellbeing. Over time, changing preferences and norms influence the types of built environments we create for ourselves. Given trends and conditions in many of today’s societies, this means transitioning away from the sprawling, car-dependent suburbs, and toward the dense, walkable city.

On April 22nd, at the United Nations in New York, leaders the world over will sign the Paris agreement on reducing the threat of climate change. This is a high-water mark for political commitment to this disastrous problem, so it is fair to ask: Will it make a difference? A handful of insights, grounded in math, can clarify the situation and point out a straightforward path to a reasonable, low-carbon future.

California’s suburban sprawl has made the state’s transportation sector its largest single contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. With an expected addition of 6 million new residents in the next 15 years, whether California succeeds in building cities inward instead of outward could make all the difference in meeting its 2030 climate target, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.

A foundation veteran who (co-)wrote the book on marrying measurement to giving now says the ideas he promoted have had some “nasty” effects on donor-grantee relationships.

Recently, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission discussed performance-based regulation (PBR) with Sonia Aggarwal, Director of Strategy at Energy Innovation. Jennifer Christensen interviewed Ms. Aggarwal and posed some questions that are central to understanding this alternative to traditional regulation.

On 21 February, China’s State Council released a new set of urban development guidelines aiming to produce a framework which will create urban areas that have improved navigability, tighter-knit communities, better access to commercial and public areas, and are less resource intensive.

While we are continuously learning more about what makes human habitats both livable and sustainable, a consensus has emerged on the most foundational and necessary design principles. Last year, China Development Bank Capital, Energy Innovation, and Energy Foundation created the Guidelines for Green and Smart Urban Development to outline these design principles.