Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, unveiled proposals to set up a "retrofitting academy" to train an army of energy advisers as he aired his ambitions to place the city at the forefront of green industry. Johnson also vowed to push ahead with the retrofitting of buildings in London that in one way or another reside in the public sector – believed to be around 25% of all buildings in the capital.

San Francisco's Bay Conservation and Development Commission is preparing to launch a $125,000 competition that will invite architects, planners and engineers to bring innovative proposals "to climate-proof the Bay Area," in the words of the competition outline. There is hope that some of the designs produced may be useful to other communities in similar situations.

Among other "green" initiatives being unveiled by Detroit's mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. are a few standouts, in terms of energy policy. He's creating an Office of Energy and Sustainability within the mayor's office, and a "Green Council" of representatives from city agencies to find ways to improve energy use in city buildings.

The City Council of Hamilton, Ontario approved $35,000 for the creation of a Community Energy Collaborative to explore the city's energy supply vulnerabilities. The task force will look at economic, social and environmental sustainability and urban planning.

This report and recommendation were submitted to the City Council of Hamilton, Ontario on November 18, 2008. It details the steps Hamilton has taken to date on the issue of peak oil, and recommends the creation of a volunteer peak oil task force based on the model of Portland, Oregon. The council approved funding for the task force on December 8, 2008.

The City of El Paso is entering into a collaboration that will save the city $1.7 million each year in energy. They frame it as the a step toward a green collar economy as well as a way to address climate change.

In a unanimous decision, the Nottingham (UK) City Council passed a measure acknowledging "the forthcoming impact of peak oil," and listing actions it plans to take to help Nottingham "rise to the challenge of peak oil but also encourage the city to grasp the opportunities which peak oil offers."

In April 2008, the Darebin City Council received a report on the implication for Council of Global Peak Oil that it had commissioned in July 2007. They resolved to continue the city's existing programs that enhance the city's resilience in the face of peak oil and add to them emphasis on the energy issue, to advocate to state and federal government about peak oil, and to refer the development of an action plan to budget considerations.

The city of Spokane, Washington obtained a grant from the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) to fund the creation of its sustainability action plan and joint peak oil-climate change task force. The grant application details the plan and deliverables of the project, as well as providing a snapshot of the political environment of Spokane at the time.

Boris Johnson, the London mayor, is basing the new program on a successful one in the metropolitan area of Kirklees. Insulating the lofts [atttics] of London homes will save residents money and help propel the city toward its goal of cutting its carbon emissions by 60% by 2025.