News Articles Archive - Cross River Partnership

CRP partner, the City of London Corporation has now published its third Impact Report, celebrating the positive outcomes delivered through its supply chain, and showcasing how suppliers have supported its communities in 2025-2026. During this time substantial progress has been made in moving away from spend-based reporting towards contract-specific emissions data.

Of the six supply chain commitments to which the City Corporation holds itself accountable, reducing carbon emissions throughout their supply chain remains a key priority. One example highlighting this progress is the participation of six SME suppliers in Heart of the City’s funded SME Net Zero Accelerator, with commitments from two suppliers to collectively save at least 18,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2050, that’s equivalent to 571,428 cups of tea!

“At the City of London Corporation, we believe responsible procurement is not an optional extra, it is fundamental to how we provide excellent services. Every purchasing decision is a chance to generate wider value for society”, comments Deputy Benjamin Murphy, Chair of Projects & Procurement Sub-Committee.

Download the Impact Report 2025 – 2026 here: Responsible Procurement Impact Report 2025-2026

CRP is delighted to see its Local Authority and Business Improvement District (BID) partners successfully secure funding through the Mayor of London’s Summer Streets Fund, supporting projects that will expand al fresco dining and help create more vibrant, welcoming and people-focused high streets across London.

WeAreWaterloo BID and the London Borough of Lambeth secured the maximum award of £100,000 for large al fresco dining at the Lower Marsh Street. Running from July to November 2026, the funding will support a new Saturday road closure, creating space for over 100 additional outdoor seats, alongside public realm improvements such as lighting, bunting and planting, and a series of free outdoor cultural screenings.

The London Borough of Camden was awarded a £10,000 Pocket al fresco grant for improvements at Leather Lane Market, where expanded outdoor dining, Saturday trading and a programme of cultural activities will help enhance the experience for visitors, businesses and the local community.

Congratulations to CRP’s partners on securing this funding! We look forward to seeing these projects bring more opportunities for outdoor dining, community activity and thriving local high streets across London this summer.

Explore London’s 2026 Summer Streets projects here: Summer Streets projects 2026 | London City Hall

The heatwave that swept across London was a reminder that hotter summers are becoming part of everyday life. For CRP partners, this matters because extreme heat affects many of the issues we work on every day, from public health and local economies to transport, public spaces and community wellbeing. During London Climate Action Week, we attended the Smart Cities World Summit which included two sessions: Adapting to Heat as the New UK Norm and Community-Centred Resilience: Protecting Vulnerable Populations. The key takeaway was that many of the measures needed to help London adapt are already familiar: greener streets, better public spaces, more shade and neighbourhoods designed around people’s everyday needs.

The discussions coincided with the launch of Heat Ready London, the Mayor’s first city-wide vision for adapting to rising temperatures. Developed in response to growing heat risks across the capital, the plan calls for action across the built environment, health and care, infrastructure, green space, emergency planning and the economy. It also highlights the importance of partnership working, recognising that no single organisation can tackle the challenge alone.

For CRP stakeholders, much of this agenda will feel familiar. Heat Ready London identifies measures such as increasing urban greening, expanding access to shade and cooling spaces, improving public realm design and supporting more resilient local communities. These ambitions align closely with work already being delivered by CRP and its partners through programmes that improve walking and cycling environments, support greener streets, enhance public spaces and encourage healthier travel choices.

Perhaps the most encouraging message from both the summit and Heat Ready London is that adapting to a warmer climate does not require an entirely new playbook. Projects that improve walking and cycling routes, increase greenery, create more welcoming public spaces and support healthier local environments can also help communities cope with hotter weather. As London prepares for warmer summers, continued collaboration between boroughs, businesses, community organisations and other stakeholders will be essential to creating places that are not only fairer, greener and safer, but also better prepared for the future.

Explore the full Heat Ready London plan here: Heat Ready London | London City Hall

One of the standout discussions at London Climate Action Week was Advancing Climate Action Through Strategic Urban Transformation, hosted by Arup and C40 Cities. The session highlighted Madrid’s innovative Sueña Madrid initiative, which is helping to shape the city’s long-term future through collective visioning, collaboration and citizen-led planning.

Rather than relying solely on traditional top-down planning, Madrid has placed residents, stakeholders and local government at the heart of developing its new Municipal Strategic Plan. Through workshops, community engagement activities and a city-wide participation process, the initiative has encouraged people to imagine the future they want to see, embracing the idea of “dreaming together with society”.

The approach responds to a growing recognition that conventional planning frameworks can struggle to address the complex and rapidly changing challenges facing cities. Instead, Sueña Madrid promotes a more adaptive and flexible model, bringing together housing, infrastructure, sustainability, health and mobility within a single, integrated vision.

The session also explored how digital tools can support better decision-making. Madrid is developing a strategic city simulator that uses urban data and predictive modelling to test future scenarios and help guide investment and policy decisions.

For CRP, the discussion reinforced the value of partnership working, co-design and long-term thinking in creating healthier, more resilient places. The themes strongly aligned with CRP’s work across sustainable transport, urban greening, placemaking and climate resilience, demonstrating how collaborative approaches can help cities respond effectively to environmental and social challenges.

To learn more about Madrid’s Strategic Plan, visit the Sueña Madrid Municipal Strategic Plan – Municipal Strategic Plan – Sueña Madrid

Find out more about CRP’s projects – Projects – Cross River Partnership

The discussions at last month’s London Climate Action Week made one thing clear: if we want a climate-resilient London, we have to transform how our goods move.

With parcel deliveries projected to continue to increase in the coming years, our streets face unprecedented pressure. Climate resilience isn’t just about preparing for extreme weather; it is about building daily systems robust enough to reduce polluting vehicle journeys, lower emissions, and withstand future urban challenges.

At CRP, we are working with our partners to build these systems, including multimodal solutions to include networks like rail, walking freight, and the river as well.

Through our recent projects, we have transformed underutilised spaces into micro logistics hubs, such as our trials at the Waterloo Freight Hub and Pimlico, proving that parcels can be brought into central London efficiently and distributed via e-cargo bikes. By connecting local authorities, businesses, and low-emission operators, CRP is helping to deliver a safer, greener network that keeps London moving.

Reach out to us to learn more about how we can help you explore low-emission logistics solutions: https://crossriverpartnership.org/contact-us/

As London experiences more frequent periods of extreme heat, green infrastructure is becoming an essential part of climate resilience. Trees, rain gardens, green roofs and living walls can help cool streets, provide shade, improve air quality, reduce flood risk and create healthier, more attractive places for people to spend time.

For over a decade, CRP has brought together local authorities, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), businesses and landowners to deliver practical greening solutions across London that support our partners.

For example, our award-winning Greening the BIDs programme supported Business Improvement Districts across central London to deliver 19 Green Infrastructure Audits and 16 installations, including rain gardens, green roofs and living walls. One of the most recognisable examples is the Living Wall at the Rubens Hotel in Victoria, which incorporates around 10,000 plants and helps cool the local environment while supporting biodiversity.

Similarly, CRP’s more recent Healthy Streets Everyday programme delivered 23 greening improvements across 11 London boroughs. From pocket parks to innovative CityTrees installations, these projects have helped to improve local environments and create healthier, more welcoming streets. This great work is being continued as part of our Healthy Streets Everyday II Programme.

By integrating greening with wider initiatives to improve air quality, promote active travel and enhance public spaces, CRP and its partners are helping London adapt to a changing climate. As temperatures continue to rise, these projects demonstrate how green infrastructure can play a vital role in creating cooler, healthier and more resilient neighbourhoods for everyone.

Interested in delivering greening projects in your area? Contact CRP Interim Director Fiona Coull to explore how we can support you to develop and deliver green infrastructure solutions.

CRP Project Manager Katherine Fairfax recently attended A City for All: Leading Climate Transformation in an Era of Disinformation, hosted by LSE Cities and C40 Cities. The event launched the inaugural Nicky Gavron Memorial Lecture Series, honouring the former Deputy Mayor of London and co-founder of C40 Cities, whose work helped place cities at the forefront of global climate action.

The keynote was delivered by Anne Hidalgo, former Mayor of Paris and Global Ambassador for the Global Covenant of Mayors, followed by a discussion featuring global city leaders including Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr (Mayor of Freetown), Kate Gallego (Mayor of Phoenix), David Miller (former Mayor of Toronto), Mark Watts (Executive Director, C40 Cities) and Philipp Rode (Executive Director, LSE Cities).

A key theme throughout the event was that successful climate action depends on more than ambitious targets. Building public trust, engaging communities and demonstrating tangible benefits for residents are essential to creating lasting change.

These messages reflect CRP’s Healthy Streets Everyday II (HSE II) project, which works with local authorities, businesses and communities to test and scale practical solutions that make streets healthier, greener and more inclusive. The event was a timely reminder that delivering climate transformation requires collaboration, clear communication and a focus on the everyday experiences of the people who live, work and travel in our cities.

Find out more about Healthy Streets Everyday II: Healthy Streets Everyday II

For more information, please contact CRP Senior Development Manager Ross Phillips

Climate resilience is essential as London experiences more frequent heatwaves, extreme weather events and environmental pressures. Across the city, organisations are adapting how they plan, design and manage places to ensure communities, businesses and infrastructure can thrive in a changing climate. This edition of the CRP Newsletter explores a range of approaches that are helping to build a more resilient London, from greening and healthy streets to sustainable logistics, community resilience and long-term city planning.

At CRP, we are proud to work alongside our partners to deliver practical, place-based solutions that support climate adaptation while bringing wider benefits for health, air quality, biodiversity and local economies. Through programmes such as Healthy Streets Everyday II, STREET-15, urban greening initiatives, low-emission freight trials and collaborative planning projects, we are helping to create greener streets, cooler public spaces, more resilient transport networks and healthier neighbourhoods.

A common theme running through each article is the importance of partnership working. Whether creating cool spaces during heatwaves, delivering green infrastructure, supporting thriving high streets, rethinking urban planning, or transforming city logistics, meaningful progress depends on collaboration between local authorities, businesses, BIDs, community organisations and other stakeholders.

We hope this edition provides inspiration for how climate resilience can be embedded into projects, policies and places. To learn more about CRP’s work or explore partnership opportunities, please get in touch: https://crossriverpartnership.org/contact-us/

Read the July newsletter here: https://crossriverpartnership.org/publications/?search=&category=crp-newsletters&year_published=

The Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) have launched a new Walking and Wheeling Action Plan, setting out changes to how London’s streets are designed and used. With commitments including 1,000 new pedestrian crossings, expanded School Streets and neighbourhood-level improvements, the Plan aims to make walking a more convenient everyday choice, while supporting public health and local high streets.

For CRP and our partners, this creates clear opportunities. Many of the challenges it highlights, such as unsafe crossings, poor pavements and traffic-heavy streets, are ones we are already tackling through projects like Healthy Streets Everyday II and Just Streets. The Plan should make it easier to deliver this kind of work at scale through borough programmes and local partnerships.

In practical terms, this could mean more support for high street improvements, safer routes to public transport, and neighbourhood changes that make walking easier and more appealing. CRP will continue working with partners to turn these opportunities into local projects and delivery.

With London Climate Action Week underway, there’s a wide range of events taking place, offering something for everyone interested in driving forward climate action. From community-led initiatives to sector-focused discussions, it’s a great opportunity to learn, connect, and get involved.

London Climate Action Week harnesses the power of London for both global and local climate action, providing an open and inclusive platform for collaboration. As one of the world’s largest independent climate events, it brings together thousands of people across hundreds of events each June showcasing climate action happening visibly across an entire global city. It is also a key moment in the global climate calendar, where the international climate community comes together to build momentum, share learning, and drive progress between COP summits.

Events are being held from Saturday 20th to Sunday 28th June! Check out some of the events below:

Sustainability Walking Tour (Morning Tour or Afternoon Tour)
Explore sustainable initiatives across the city through guided walking tours

Port Electrification UK
Discover the latest developments in port infrastructure and electrification

Earthfest: The Future of Transport & Energy
Engage with discussions and exhibitions on the future of clean transport and energy systems

Sort It Out! The Great Recycling Challenge
Get involved in practical action and awareness around recycling and waste reduction

There are many more events taking place across London, whether you’re interested in policy, innovation, community action, or simply learning more, now is the perfect time to get involved and be part of the conversation.

Explore the full programme here: Events – London Climate Action Week

Archives: News Articles

A Year of Progress: City of London Corporation Publishes Impact Report 2025 – 2026

Summer Streets Success: CRP Partners Awarded Mayor of London Funding

Towards a Heat-Resilient London

Rethinking City Planning Through Collective Visioning

Shaping the Future of Sustainable Logistics through CRP’s Partnerships

Keeping London Cool: Greening for a More Resilient City

CRP Attends Inaugural Lecture on Climate Leadership

July Newsletter: CRP Drives Collaborative Action on Climate Resilience

A Step Forward for Walking in London

Join the Conversation: London Climate Action Week Events