This invention pertains to a curable composition comprising a first component having β-ketoester and/or malonate functionalities and a second component having two or more aldehyde functionalities. The compositions can be cured at room temperature or low temperatures to yield crosslinked networks that are capable of providing desirable properties for coating and adhesive applications. The reactive functionalities of β-ketoester, malonate, and aldehyde can be either on polymers as the main binders or on small molecules as the crosslinkers. The curable compositions desirably are either solventless or organic solvent based.