WASHINGTON (August 13, 2019) — While much attention has been focused on dramatic “day zero” moments in big cities like Cape Town and Chennai, at the household and family level, the tap runs dry much more often than previously thought. Vast segments of the urban population in the global south lack access to safe, reliable and affordable water for daily use, according to new research from WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. For these households, every day can be day zero.

On July 18, a group of nearly 30 Brazilian governors, mayors, city authorities and business leaders visited World Resources Institute to learn about WRI Ross Center and WRI Brasil’s work on mobility and sustainable cities. This visit was part of a week-long event organized by Brazilian NGO Comunitas, in partnership with Johns Hopkins University.

On July 4^th, representatives from each of the seven TheCityFix Labs México projects gathered at the University of the Americas in San Pedro Cholula, Puebla, to discuss financing mechanisms for sustainable infrastructure projects. TheCityFix Labs is an initiative of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, with support from the Citi Foundation, designed to help cities prepare, finance and implement sustainable urban projects.

On June 17, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Sustentabilidad para México (SUMe) organized the second annual Greenbuild Mexico International Conference in Mexico City, engaging more than 500 industry leaders and interested parties.

During the conference, SUMe in collaboration with WRI México, USGBC and WorldGBC organized the "National-Subnational Collaboration for Energy Efficiency in Buildings" forum, where federal leaders, local actors and international experts convened to advance green buildings.

In April, the European Union awarded WRI Turkey Sustainable Cities funding from the Civil Society Support Programme II to organize a communications campaign around cycling in three Turkish cities: İzmir, Eskişehir and Lüleburgaz. The “Get Turkey Cycling!” campaign aims to promote cycling as a sustainable and healthy commuting mode and to foster a culture of collaboration between public authorities and civil society organizations.