Living Cities Earth

What Living Cities Earth does

Living Cities Earth is a UK-based non-profit action-research ecosystem founded in 2022 and headquartered in Edinburgh, operating with 16 employees and a distributed network of more than 100 co-founders spanning organizational psychology, systems science, urban planning, sustainability, technology, and social entrepreneurship across at least 35 countries. The organization convenes city leaders, policymakers, technologists, artists, and civic changemakers around a stated ambition to transform 10,000 cities globally, framing cities as complex adaptive living systems embedded within bioregions.

Its core offerings are two flagship leadership programs: the Global Mayors Academy, which serves incumbent mayors and municipal leaders, and the Future Leaders Project, which develops emerging changemakers. Both programs operate as portals into a broader Living Cities Earth community hosted on Mighty Networks (mn.co), where members access regenerative solutions, peer learning, and co-creation. Underpinning the work is a set of proprietary intellectual frameworks — the Unitive Narrative (developed with the Evolutionary Leaders SDG Thought Circle and adopted by the United Nations Unity Cluster), the Master Code of Care, and the 4 Living Dimensions (Person, People, Place, Planet) — that provide the methodological foundation for the organization's consulting, training, and convening work.

The business model is community-led rather than transactional. Revenue appears to be generated through professional services around the leadership programs and training engagements, supplemented by philanthropic and partner support (notably the UN Unity Cluster relationship). No pricing is publicly disclosed, and prospective participants are directed to contact the organization via email. Customer segments are primarily government leaders (mayors, municipal officials) and a persona-based segment (future leaders and changemakers), with secondary engagement from businesses, civic movements, and bioregional stakeholders. The organization does not operate as a software platform and has no APIs or AI/ML components in its disclosed technology stack.

Name

Living Cities Earth

Legal name

Living Cities Earth

Website

https://livingcities.earth

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Living Cities Earth is a UK non-profit action-research ecosystem founded in 2022 that convenes city leaders and emerging changemakers through the Global Mayors Academy and Future Leaders Project to drive regenerative urban transformation across a global network of cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Education and Training Programs: Revenue generated through flagship programs including the Global Mayors Academy and Future Leaders Project, which offer training, deep inquiry, co-creation, and community access to regenerative solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Living Cities Earth operates as an interdisciplinary action-research ecosystem that delivers flagship leadership programs—the Global Mayors Academy for sitting mayors and city leaders, and the Future Leaders Project for emerging changemakers—built on the Unitive Narrative framework adopted by the United Nations Unity Cluster and the Master Code of Care across four living dimensions (Person, People, Place, Planet). The organization's core service is convening 100+ interdisciplinary experts and connecting 10,000 cities globally to support regenerative urban transformation through training, deep inquiry, co-creation, and access to a network of regenerative solutions.

Product overview

Living Cities Earth is an interdisciplinary action-research ecosystem operating as a catalytic network rather than a traditional software product. Its core offerings include two flagship leadership programs: the Global Mayors Academy for incumbent city leaders and the Future Leaders Project for emerging changemakers. These programs are built upon foundational frameworks—the Manifesto (articulating values around Person, People, Places, and Planet) and the Unitive Narrative (adopted by the UN Unity Cluster)—and provide access to a global network of regenerative solutions, practitioners, and expert resources. The ecosystem serves cities through deep listening, connection-building, and co-creation rather than through a technology platform or SaaS product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global Mayors Academy Flagship leadership program for sitting mayors and city leaders, equipping them to hold complexity, make decisions, and shape conditions for communities to thrive. Provides access to the Living Cities Earth ecosystem of regenerative solutions, peer practitioners, and pioneering cities.
• Future Leaders Project Flagship leadership development program for young visionaries, bridge-builders, and changemakers stepping into civic leadership roles. Provides invitations into deep inquiry, co-creation, and community, with access to the Living Cities Earth ecosystem and its network of regenerative solutions.
• Living Cities Earth Community (Mighty Networks) Community platform providing ongoing access to resources, connections, and the regenerative solutions network for participants of the Global Mayors Academy, Future Leaders Project, and broader ecosystem. Hosted on Mighty Networks (mn.co).

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of carbon emissions originate in cities
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• United Nations Unity ClusterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe United Nations Unity Cluster is integrating the Unitive Narrative—a framework developed by Evolutionary Leaders SDG Thought Circle. The cluster's mission is to foster global cooperation and promote sustainable development, guided by principles of unity and interconnectedness. Living Cities Earth has adopted this narrative as the foundation of its approach to transforming cities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability: ICLEI is a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. It directly competes with Living Cities Earth in serving city leaders with sustainability frameworks, capacity building, and peer-learning programs, though with a more technical/policy orientation.
• C40 Cities: C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is a network of global mayors working on climate action and urban sustainability. It is the most directly comparable organization to Living Cities Earth in terms of convening city leaders around transformative agendas, serving the same primary customer segment (incumbent mayors and city governments).
• Resilient Cities Network: Resilient Cities Network (formerly 100 Resilient Cities) is a network of city governments working to build urban resilience. It is a direct peer serving the same mayoral and city-government customer base with leadership development and urban transformation frameworks.
• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy: The Global Covenant of Mayors is the largest alliance of city leaders committed to climate and energy action. It is a direct peer serving the same mayoral customer base with commitments, peer learning, and convening around urban transformation.

Emerging players

• Practical Action: Practical Action is an international development NGO working on inclusive urban and rural development with a focus on community-led approaches. It is an emerging player with partial overlap in community engagement and participatory approaches to urban transformation in developing economies.
• Ashoka (Changemakers): Ashoka is a global network supporting social entrepreneurs and changemakers. It is an emerging player with partial overlap through Living Cities Earth's Future Leaders Project, which engages emerging changemakers in a similar way Ashoka identifies and supports social entrepreneurs.

Others

• Evolutionshift Foundation / Evolutionary Leaders Forum: The Evolutionary Leaders Forum is a network of thought leaders developing integrated approaches to global challenges and is the originator of the SDG Thought Circle whose Unitive Narrative Living Cities Earth adopts. It is an ecosystem partner/enabler rather than a direct competitor, providing philosophical underpinnings for Living Cities Earth's work.

Broad incumbents

• United Nations Habitat: UN-Habitat is the United Nations program for sustainable urban development, working with governments on urban policy. It operates as a broader incumbent in the same urban transformation space and is a key institutional actor whose frameworks (SDG 11, New Urban Agenda) shape the agenda Living Cities Earth engages with.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge: Bloomberg Philanthropies runs the Mayors Challenge, a global competition funding innovative city-led solutions. It is a broad incumbent in the city leadership development space, engaging mayors with substantial financial incentives and competing for the same attention and programming relationships.
• World Resources Institute - Ross Center for Sustainable Cities: WRI's Ross Center works with cities globally on sustainable urban transformation through research, tools, and convening. It is a broader incumbent that shares Living Cities Earth's audience of city leaders and policy makers while operating with significantly more resources and technical depth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/livingcitiesearth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Living Cities Earth