Workshop Explores How 13 Latin American Cities Can Finance Sustainable Mobility Projects

CALI, COLOMBIA (October 20, 2017) — From October 18 to 20, officials from 13 Latin American cities participated in a capacity building workshop on how to finance sustainable urban mobility projects. The workshop was organized by GIZ Connective Cities, C40 Cities Finance Facility, the City of Cali and the Foundation for the Integral Development of the Colombian Pacific Region. Experts from WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and the Financing Sustainable Cities Initiative (FSCI) helped city officials explore how to develop business models for a range of solutions, including bike-sharing and transit-oriented development (TOD).

Latin American cities have long suffered from uncontrolled urbanization and sprawl, causing many to feel fragmented and inefficient. To combat these challenges and improve quality of life, several cities have turned to sustainable urban mobility projects.

Through the exchange of good practices and case studies, participants learned about cycling infrastructure and culture, bike-sharing, TOD, funding and financing, and transport and logistics. The goal of the workshop was to help make these projects a reality by spreading awareness of available funding and financing mechanisms, generating dialogue between strategic actors and strengthening city policies.

Eight city officials presented real-world case studies, discussing the challenges and opportunities of each project. Projects included the commuter train and Green Corridor in Cali, active mobility in Pereira, the BRT system in Cali , Plan Bici in Bogotá, developing a bicycle culture in Ibagué, the Sustainable Mobility Plan in Armenia, and plans for trolley bus fleet renovation in Quito. These presentations were accompanied by expert talks on climate and urban financing from the Colombian National Planning Department and C40 Cities Finance Facility.

During the last day of the workshop, attendees participated in an FSCI scenario exercise, moderated by WRI experts Luca Lo Re and Ivan de la Lanza, where they developed their own business models for two real-world sustainable urban mobility projects involving TOD (Green Corridor of Cali) and bike-sharing system (Pereira). New opportunities were identified, such as the incentive of making use of the CIM GIZ programme for the technical studies needed for the Green Corridor, and the need of more detailed assessments for the bike-sharing system business model of Pereira.

Financing Sustainable Cities (FSCI) is an initiative of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and C40 Cities, funded by the Citi Foundation, helping cities develop business models that can accelerate the implementation of sustainable urban solutions.