WASHINGTON (January 16, 2020) — A new road safety challenge launched today aims to help cities in Latin America and the Caribbean create systemic change to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries. Coordinated by WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, the Vision Zero Challenge will train city leaders on how to make streets safer for children, how to improve infrastructure and speeds, how to set policies and attract financing, and more; and five participating cities will be selected as #Vision2Action Champion Cities.

WASHINGTON (December 18, 2019) — The number of urban residents who lack safely managed sanitation services has increased from 1.9 billion in 2000 to 2.3 billion in 2015, costing $223 billion a year globally in health costs and lost productivity and wages. According to new research from WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, the problem is even more dire than most realize, particularly for low-income households in dense urban areas whose needs have often been overlooked.

On November 22, WRI Turkey Sustainable Cities organized the 7th annual Livable Cities Symposium in Istanbul, Turkey. The conference convened 400 representatives from international organizations, local governments, academia, the private sector and NGOs under the theme “Low Carbon is Not Enough! Now it is Time for Zero Carbon!” Speakers discussed the role of cities in tackling the climate crisis and the transition toward zero-carbon cities.

On October 29, WRI México conducted the fourth installment of TheCityFix Labs México workshops in Hermosillo, Sonora. TheCityFix Labs is an initiative of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, with support from the Citi Foundation. TheCityFix Labs México is currently supporting the preparation, technical design and financial feasibility of seven sustainable infrastructure projects across the country.