WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

🔟🌎 From Brazil to India, Kenya to China, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities has been transforming urban landscapes across the globe for 10 years! 🎉 Combining cutting-edge research with on-the-ground action, our approach has improved the lives of millions, influencing policy and practice in over 388 cities and touching every aspect of city life — from #transportation and #energy systems to green spaces and #AirQuality. As we enter the "urban century" with 2.5 billion more people projected to live in #cities by 2050, our work is more important than ever. Learn about how we're preparing for this future and the lessons we've learned from a decade of creating sustainable urban environments in our 🆕 10th anniversary annual report: https://bit.ly/4gPE3iZ #SustainableCities

Growing greenhouse gas emissions are causing the planet to warm at an alarming rate, contributing to increasingly devastating effects to people and nature, but where exactly do these emissions come from? #ClimateWatch analyzed comprehensive emissions data for all countries, sectors, and gases, breaking down not only the five primary sectors contributing to emissions, but also the “end-uses,” or the specific activities that emit greenhouse gases. This granular view allows us to see what activities within a sector are having the greatest impact on emissions, thus allowing us to better focus climate action and investment. Read the article to learn more: https://bit.ly/3Dbo0fS

🚍 NEW ANALYSIS: How can cities build financially resilient public transit systems? Our latest working paper examines how transit agencies worldwide are adapting their funding models to ensure long-term sustainability. Key insights: • Traditional fare-dependent models are increasingly vulnerable • Successful agencies tap into multiple revenue streams • Emerging funding mechanisms like land value capture and congestion pricing present untapped funding opportunities • Policy frameworks need updating to enable funding diversification This research provides actionable recommendations for transit agencies, city leaders and policymakers. Read the full paper to learn how Copenhagen, Paris and others diversify transit revenue: https://bit.ly/4g5fEVC #PublicTransport #PublicTransit #UrbanResilience #UrbanDevelopment #SustainableTransport

🌅 Day 2 of the #ActiveMobility Finance Workshop is underway! 🚲 At this three-day collaborative workshop in Washington DC, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and the Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat are bringing together global experts to explore practical solutions that strengthen walking and cycling investments worldwide. Today, the workshop's morning sessions focus on mapping value chains and understanding market dynamics, followed by afternoon discussions on emerging models and promising opportunities in the sector. Excited to advance this important work together!

🔔 TOMORROW: The transport sector in low- & middle-income countries (LMICs) needs $575B annually to meet 2030 climate goals. How can we close this gap? Join us to explore new tools & innovative solutions to unlock #ClimateFinance for LMICs with global experts, including: • Ben Welle, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities • Neil Ebenezer, High Volume Transport Applied Research • Binyam Reja, The World Bank • Vivien Foster, Imperial College London • Nikola Medimorec, SLOCAT Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport • And more! 📅 Tomorrow, Dec 12, 2024 ⏰ 9:00-10:30 AM EST 📍 Online Register now: https://bit.ly/4fUbIaj

The felt temperature in Istanbul this year reached 45 °C. The exhausts of the busy traffic of this metropole make the heat island effect worse. If current emission trends continue, demand for air conditioning will increase by 70%.   The climate crisis and related extreme temperatures are daunting and can have deeper consequences for our lives. But cities like Istanbul are looking at solutions and ensuring that nature is used as a solution to protect its citizens and future generations.    Read more in our article about how cities in Europe are coping and what national governments need to do before next summer:  https://bit.ly/3Ou40aS #UrbanHeat #CoolCities #WatchYourTemperature #ClimateSolutions #Istanbul #Turkey #Heatwave

Safer streets, stronger communities, healthier cities - Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat's Director of Sustainable Mobility Petrouschka Werther shares her vision of how investing in #ActiveMobility can revolutionize urban life. 🚶🏽♀️🚴♂️🏃🏽♀️➡️ Tune in tomorrow and Thursday for more insights from this groundbreaking 3-day workshop! #SustainableCities

“Every country is trying to do something. The transition is taking place, it is just not happening fast enough." - Ani Dasgupta At today's Active Mobility Finance Workshop, World Resources Institute President & CEO Ani Dasgupta and Vice President & Regional Director for World Resources Institute Europe Stientje van Veldhoven led an important discussion on accelerating the transition to sustainable transport. With transport emissions moving in the wrong direction globally, they stressed three key priorities to drive transformative investment in walking and cycling infrastructure: • Strengthening the business case for active mobility • Improving data collection and communication • Aligning government mandates across all levels "We need to change the transport system, rather than just focus on decarbonizing." - Stientje van Veldhoven Stay tuned for more insights from this groundbreaking workshop tomorrow and Thursday! #ActiveMobility #Mobility #Transport #Cycling #Walking #Infrastructure #SustainableTransport

⚠️ The majority of road fatalities in developing countries are pedestrians and cyclists. At today's #ActiveMobility workshop in Washington, DC, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities Urban Mobility Director Felipe Ramírez and global experts are tackling how to finance safer streets for these vulnerable road users. Stay tuned for updates! #RoadSafety

WRI India’s latest working paper highlights the importance of integrated spatio-economic planning to bring jobs closer to metro rail transit in Bengaluru, for improving workforce productivity and city competitiveness. By mapping job data from registered factories, shops and commercial establishments, the study analyzes job proximity and densities along operational and upcoming metro corridors. 🚉 Of the total mapped jobs, only 28% are within a comfortable walking distance (500 m) from the nearest metro station, while 85% are within 2 km, highlighting opportunities to better align job locations with transit accessibility.  The paper also explores pull factors for businesses, and market or regulatory challenges in locating near metro stations. It provides actionable recommendations for enabling job growth near transit through the adoption of transit-oriented development strategies. 📖 Read the full publication: https://bit.ly/4eZZoUD This work is authored by Radha Chanchani, Amartya Deb, Jaya Dhindaw, Raj Bhagat Palanichamy, Jyoti Singh and Madhav Pai. 📝 A blog related to this paper will be published shortly—stay tuned! WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities