As the world reaches critical milestones for the Paris Agreement, cities need concrete ways to translate global goals into local action. At the same time, cities are being asked to balance climate and sustainable development goals with the need for economic development.

As factories and offices shut down and people stayed at home in response to COVID-19 and lockdowns, air pollution dropped around the world. People living in cities from Delhi to Los Angeles witnessed and even celebrated how long-obscured mountains appeared on the horizon as the particulate matter pollution decreased, and evidence from both ground monitors and satellites found significant drops in lung-damaging NOx. But pollution didn’t go away in many places, and pollution exposure over time has made thousands more vulnerable to complications from respiratory illnesses.

Cities are not only at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also likely to see lasting changes from it, from their physical form to economic and community structure. On April 29, more than 600 participants tuned in to a high-level panel hosted by WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities that brought together key urban experts to discuss what national governments and cities should invest in now to respond to pressing needs and become more resilient in the future, and how urban investments can reach where they are needed most.

Public transport is experiencing enormous and immediate challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, as ridership plunges. But it is also serving a crucial role in connecting health care workers and other essential workers to their jobs. The crisis has revealed, whether you are a rider or not, just how much society relies on public transport.