Blue Cities Alliance
The Blue Cities Alliance develops city-ready pathways for ocean-led prosperity by advancing coastal restoration, blue economy development, and climate resilience.
News
Athens signs the Blue Cities Manifesto
On June 4, 2025, Mayor Haris Doukas of Athens signed the Blue Cities Manifesto, making Athens the first city to formally join the Blue Cities Alliance — a global initiative led by Alexandra Cousteau and powered by Oceans 2050.
As a coastal capital with deep maritime heritage and bold climate adaptation leadership, Athens is helping to shape a new vision for how cities can reconnect with the ocean—advancing regeneration, resilience, and prosperity.This marks an important milestone in the growing movement of coastal cities rising to meet today’s environmental and social challenges. With Athens setting the tone, more cities are preparing to follow.
Our Path To Impact
We believe the city is the most effective unit of change — because this is where people live, raise families, build livelihoods, and feel a sense of home.
The Blue Cities Alliance helps coastal cities thrive by making ocean restoration practical at the city scale — aligned with local culture and economic priorities.
We build social license and momentum, align stakeholders around a shared vision, translate that vision into a public roadmap, track progress with clear indicators, and recognize credible leadership through verified standards.
We focus on a simple framework for coastal transformation:
A shared long-term strategy: A community-driven, science-aligned vision for coastal resilience and prosperity.
A real-time coastal intelligence system: Verified data, clear indicators, and decision-ready insights that keep action on track.
A global standard + recognition: Credibility and verification that reward leadership and make progress comparable across cities.
A unifying narrative for civic pride and investment: Engagement across sports, culture, cuisine, hospitality, and youth to build momentum and unlock partnerships.
Together, this framework turns ocean restoration into measurable progress—strengthening resilience, livelihoods, and quality of life in the places people call home.
Why Blue Cities Matter
Blue Cities face common climate challenges.
By 2050, at least 570 coastal cities and ~800 million people could be exposed to sea-level rise and storm surges.
Rising sea levels, extreme weather, pollution, and collapsing marine ecosystems are not distant threats—they are urgent realities.
Without action, coastal cities face severe flooding, infrastructure damage, loss of critical marine resources, economic instability, declining tourism and fisheries.
Venice, Italy, 2019
Adam Sébire / Climate Visuals
Jatrapur Union, Bangladesh
Muhammad Amdad Hossain / Climate Visuals
Blue Cities concentrate our culture, commerce, and capital.
Most global megacities are coastal, with roughly half of the world’s population living within 150km of coastal areas.
Our coastal areas and oceans are crucial economic generators, producing an estimated $1.5 trillion annually.
Coastal and marine tourism represents at least 50% of a global industry worth $9.5 trillion that employs 1 in 11 people.
Healthy coastal ecosystems have huge economic impact.
“Every $1 invested in key ocean actions can yield at least $5 in global benefits over the next 30 years.” —High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy
The business case for a regenerative blue economy is straightforward: coastal restoration protects people and property, strengthens local livelihoods, and reduces risk—while unlocking durable growth in tourism, ports, fisheries, and waterfront economies.
Goals for economic growth (SDG 8) and reducing poverty (SDG 1) are directly linked to restoring life below water (SDG 14) and immediate climate action (SDG 13).
Our Vision for the Future
The Blue Cities Alliance envision coastal cities where people and nature thrive together—healthier waterfronts, safer communities, and stronger local economies powered by ocean restoration.
Our focus is practical regeneration: integrate ecological repair with economic priorities so cities can reduce risk, attract investment, create jobs, and improve quality of life—without losing what makes each place unique.
We believe durable change requires social license. When residents, businesses, and city leaders share ownership of the future, policy moves faster and implementation sticks. That’s why we connect communities, decision-makers, and experts to align around shared goals, visible progress, and civic pride.
As we grow, we will amplify local leadership by partnering with existing city networks and initiatives—sharing what works, strengthening public engagement, and accelerating a regenerative blue economy city by city.
“When coastal cities lead, oceans thrive, economies grow, and communities prosper.”
—Alexandra Cousteau
Coastal cities are on the frontlines of rapid change, confronting rising sea levels, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
They also hold the key to global solutions. With over 40% of the population near coastlines, their collective potential to lead the blue economy and marine restoration is immense.
Our Roadmap for Results
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Public Engagement
Engage communities, youth, culture, scientists, and local leaders to understand the coastline, envision the future, identify strengths and risks, build social license, and surface early opportunities for action.
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Blue Vision 2050
Co-create a long-term coastal roadmap grounded in science, local priorities, and economic reality—aligning partners around shared goals for resilience, regeneration, and public access.
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Coastal Intelligence
Turn the roadmap into delivery by integrating real-time, verified coastal data and clear indicators—tracking ecosystem health, guiding investment, and helping leaders make confident, accountable decisions.
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Standards & Recognition
Recognize measurable progress through independent review aligned with global best practice—rewarding ambition, strengthening credibility, and creating a clear pathway for improvement.
Blue Cities can lead the world.
The Blue Cities Alliance supports leaders across sectors to turn commitments into measurable progress—accelerating impact, strengthening social license, and connecting cities to a global network advancing resilient, regenerative coastal futures.
We are just getting started. Join us!
Together, we can create visibility, recognition, and collaboration opportunities that advance resilient, regenerative coastal cities.
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City Leaders
Increase visibility, strengthen partnerships, and access practical support for turning commitments into measurable progress.
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Businesses & Investors
Surface credible blue-economy opportunities, reduce uncertainty, and connect to city priorities and project pipelines.
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NGOs & Grassroots
Elevate proven local innovations and connect them with the partners, platforms, and resources to scale impact.
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Media
Gain early access to high-quality stories of coastal transformation, civic pride, and solutions that can be replicated.
