News
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Pictured: Cheonggyecheon urban renewal project and public recreation space in Seoul, South Korea. Photo by longzijun/Flickr.
Seoul, South Korea (April 9, 2015)—The World Resources Institute, led by WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and its carbonn Center announced a new partnership to help cities worldwide reduce their carbon footprint and pursue sustainable urban development. The two organizations formalized the agreement at the ICLEI World Congress in Seoul, South Korea.
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Addressing public concerns, local and national leaders voice support for sustainable urban transport
Bikes wait to cross at an intersection in Beijing, China. Photo by Alexandra Moss/Flickr.
China’s leaders just took an important step forward for sustainable urban mobility.
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New report examines microaccessibility in the Pinheiros River business district
Santo Amaro is one of three major commuter rail stations in the Pinheiros River area of São Paulo, one of the city's most crowded business districts. Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brasil.
A hub for commercial activity, the Pinheiros River area is an important business district in São Paulo, Brazil. By themselves, the Berrini, Vila Olímpia, and Santo Amaro train stations in this area attract more than 172,000 people every day—nearly double the capacity of the Maracanã soccer stadium.
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Building Efficiency Accelerator to significant contributor to city's greenhouse gas emissions
Buildings are a significant contributor to Mexico City’s greenhouse gas emissions and the focus of a new partnership to improve energy efficiency and create a more sustainable, competitive city. Photo by Alejandro Mejia Greene/Flickr.
Rising demand for energy worldwide is making the need for affordable, sustainable energy sources increasingly urgent. According to the International Energy Agency, energy consumption in cities worldwide will grow 73 percent by 2030, causing a 76 percent increase in carbon dioxide emissions. Globally, buildings account for 40 percent of energy demand and contribute about one-third of total greenhouse gas emissions.
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EMBARQ India’s third annual conference to focus on the role of active transport in India’s new smart cities
From April 15-16, 2015, EMBARQ India and WRI India will host CONNECTKaro: Smart Cities for Sustainable Development in New Delhi. The event will focus on how India's 100 smart cities initiative can catalyze sustainable urban development and improve quality of life. Photo by Benoit Colin/WRI.
The third edition of EMBARQ India’s annual CONNECTKaro conference (#CK2015) will take place this year in New Delhi from April 15-16, 2015.
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Metrobüs receives BRT standard silver rating, still eyes room for improvement
Istanbul's Metrobüs bus rapid transit (BRT) system serves 800,000 people daily and reduces time spent traveling by 52 minutes for the average rider. Photo by Adriana/Flickr.
In 2007, Istanbul added the Metrobüs bus rapid transit (BRT) system to its multimodal transport network. Initially stretching 18.2 km between the city’s Avcılar and Topkapı districts, the BRT corridor has since tripled in length to 52 km and today carries more than 800,000 passengers every day according to public transport operator IETT. Currently, Metrobüs is the most used BRT system in Europe and one of the fastest, with an operating speed of 35 km/h.
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New initiative aims to modernize and expand Mexico City's Metrobús bus rapid transit system
Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera announced today a new $150 million initiative to modernize and expand sustainable transport systems in the city. Photo by Taís Policanti/EMBARQ Mexico.
Colaboracion para la modernizacion del transporte publico en la ciudad de Mexico
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FedEx and EMBARQ Mexico collaborate to provide safety training to BRT drivers
Through the Safety First project, FedEx and EMBARQ Mexico have trained all of Mexico City and Guadalajara's bus rapid transit (BRT) drivers in safe driving techniques. Photo by Taís Policanti/EMBARQ Mexico.
Mexico has the eighth highest rate of traffic crashes in the world, with more than 406,000 collisions resulting in 15,856 deaths and 350,000 hospitalizations each year.
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City leaders and cycling advocates highlight sustainable urban design strategies that improve cyclist safety and bring economic benefits
After two years in Porto Alegre and one year in Curitiba, Brazil, the World Bicycle Forum moved to Medellín, Colombia in 2015. Photo by Claudio Olivares Medina/Flickr.
Last week, over 4,000 people gathered for the fourth World Bicycle Forum, the largest global event focused exclusively on cycling mobility and activism. City leaders, NGOs, businesses, and engaged citizens met in Medellín, Colombia from February 26 to March 1 to discuss the challenges that cyclists face, solutions for building cycling culture, and how to make local economies more dynamic and cities more livable.
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Global database of bus priority and BRT systems a powerful tool for journalists and decision makers
The MOVE BRT system in Belo Horizonte, Brazil was one of five new BRT systems launched in 2014, all tracked on BRTData.org. Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brasil.
As advanced bus systems continue to gain traction worldwide, users are spending less time stuck in traffic and more time being productive and living their lives. In Rio de Janeiro, a city of more than 6 million residents, 48.7 percent of all daily commutes are made by public transport, with the majority of these trips taken by bus. At 140 kilometers, Rio’s bus priority system is currently the longest in the world, and provides more than 3 million daily passengers with high quality, efficient mobility.