Low Carbon Solutions through Nature Based Urban Development for Kutaisi City

Objectives

Enable a transformative shift towards sustainable urban development within and outside of Kutaisi City of Georgia by strengthening planning and institutional frameworks, demonstrating and scaling-up investment in integrated low-carbon electric solutions in transport and sustainable land management practices.

Other

Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency.

Target Groups

Economics1. The Project will deliver social, economic and environmental benefits as a result of the envisioned technical assistance activities and the demonstration pilots. These include: (a) direct energy savings; (b) mitigated greenhouse gas emission from AFOLU sector; (c) increased efficiency of electric transport mobility and associated costs savings; (d) reduced emissions from transport sector in terms of reduction of atmospheric contaminants in urban area, which reliefs public health risks associated with baseline vehicle emissions; (e) development of innovative businesses contributing to economic growth and job creation; and (f) enhanced quality and user experiences.2. There is not any feasibility study that demonstrates the long-term economic benefits of green urban development or green public transport for Kutaisi. There is a lack of good practices and demonstrations of low carbon urban transportation in Kutaisi. In order for Kutaisi to adopt green urban and green transport development, evidence from demonstrations are needed.3. Moreover, a robust methodology for quantification of indicated socio-economic benefits in Georgia is currently not in place; aspects such as impact on public health and business and employment will expectedly be assessed as inputs for the economic and technical feasibility studies of integrated municipal projects (i.e. green public transport and green urban development) for Kutaisi City that are envisaged to be elaborated under the main outcome 2 of this project. 4. This low emission electric urban transportation pilot initiative has the potential to provide long-term strategic benefit to Kutaisi. This pilot will provide an opportunity for public and private operators to assess the viability of electric buses in routes around Kutaisi and in Georgia more generally (e.g., the round-trip from Kutaisi City Center to Sataplia Nature Reserve is about 20 km. The pilot will include two li-on battery-operated buses and a fast charger at the end stop complemented with low power overnight chargers at the main bus-park which seems the most economical charging combination).Supporting the achievement of global environment benefits (GEF Trust Fund)5. SLM related activities will be undertaken on at least 700 ha of urban forest lands in Kutaisi City. Out of the above 700 ha, restoration activities will cover 220 ha of degraded forest lands, while HCF forest loss will be avoided on the rest 480 ha. 6. Implementation of the Project will contribute to estimated CO2 reduction in total of 3.276 million metric tons of CO2 for a period of 20 years (2024-2044).7. The project will ensure the sustainability and replicability of global environmental benefits in several ways: enhancing the capacity of the national and local authorities to enforce the implementation and demonstrating modern environmentally friendly technologies. Social benefits and Gender 8. To meet the requirements of the GEF Policy on Gender Equality (2017), the Project Gender Action Plan (GAP) will be implemented in accordance with the GEF Policy. The Project will ensure equal opportunities for women and men of Kutaisi municipality to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from the Project. Project activities will be designed and implemented in an inclusive manner. Women's organizations based in Kutaisi will be invited to the consultation meetings.