News
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UN-backed global campaign will elevate city leadership to improve urban climate resilience in frontline communities
Cities Race to Resilience is recruiting cities around the world to ensure adaptation and resilience are central to local urban planning and inclusive climate action efforts. Photo by Atul/Unsplash
BRUSSELS (July, 8 2021) – Cities Race to Resilience is a global campaign to mobilize action on climate resilience ahead of COP26. The campaign calls attention to the urgent need to build global climate resilience in a way that prioritizes people and nature, and enables vulnerable communities to thrive in spite of climate shocks and stresses.
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The $250,000 Prize for Cities goes to urban agriculture program for building inclusive climate resilience and improving access to healthy, local food
Sustainable Food Production for a Resilient Rosario, a project by the municipality of Rosario, Argentina, has evolved from a response to economic crisis into a cornerstone of climate adaptation and social inclusion. Photo by WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
WASHINGTON, DC (June 29, 2021)—WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities announced today that the grand prize for the 2020-2021 Prize for Cities has been awarded to Sustainable Food Production for a Resilient Rosario, a project by the municipality of Rosario, Argentina. The project has evolved from a response to economic crisis into a cornerstone of climate adaptation and social inclusion.
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Dasgupta becomes just the 4th President in WRI’s nearly 40-year history, after leading WRI’s Cities program for the past seven years and previously serving as a Director of Knowledge and Learning at the World Bank. Photo by WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
WASHINGTON (June 23, 2021)—WRI’s Board of Directors has named Aniruddha (Ani) Dasgupta as its next President & CEO. Dasgupta is a highly respected leader in sustainable cities, urban design and poverty alleviation. Originally from Delhi, India, Dasgupta has been leading WRI’s Cities program for the past seven years and previously served as a Director of Knowledge and Learning at the World Bank. Ani becomes just the 4th President in WRI’s nearly 40-year history.
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Istanbul, December 2020. Turkey and Colombia are the two partner countries where the Zero Carbon Building Accelerator will begin coordinating the development of national roadmaps and action plans toward a zero-carbon building sector by 2050. Photo by WRI Turkey Sustainable Cities
WASHINGTON (June 22, 2021) — Buildings are one of the largest contributors to climate change, accounting for nearly 40% of energy-related CO2 emissions. But they are also the biggest, most cost-effective climate mitigation solution available – making up 58% of urban mitigation potential.
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Physical interventions to lower speeds are among the most effective at reducing deaths and serious injuries – and help cities chart a more sustainable future.
Low-speed zones are a key solution for effective speed management, and for creating more accessible, livable urban spaces. Photo by WRI México/Flickr
WASHINGTON, DC (May 20, 2021) — Speed is one of the main risk factors in road crashes and is a leading contributor to death and serious injury. Globally, more than 1.35 million people die from road crashes every year – and rising. Things can be different though; we know what works.
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Speed is one of the main risk factors in road crashes and a leading contributor to death and serious injury. WRI has joined the UN Road Safety Week call for an urgent transition to low-speed, livable streets. Photo by Daniel Hunter/WRI Brasil
On the occasion of the 6th annual UN Global Road Safety Week, WRI has joined leaders and organizations around the world in signing an open letter that calls for an urgent transition to low-speed, livable streets. This year’s Road Safety Week theme is “Streets for life,” focused on the importance of limiting speeds to 30 kilometers per hour on streets where people and vehicles mix.
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The Transformative Urban Coalitions project seeks to change structures and values by shifting mindsets and building new coalitions for socially inclusive, zero-carbon cities. Photo by Daniel Lozano Valdés/Unsplash
Cities account for 75% of global carbon emissions. Meeting global emission goals will require city leadership. At the same time, cities are deeply affected by the current climate crisis. Extreme heat events, water stress, deterioration of natural assets and air pollution are lowering the quality of life in cities and putting severe stress on infrastructure.
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Clean Air Catalyst is a growing cooperative to help cities around the world reduce air pollution.
Everybody deserves the right to breathe clean air. Yet air pollution is choking cities and communities around the world: a staggering 9 in 10 people breathe unhealthy air.
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New report from the Coalition for Urban Transitions spotlights six emerging economies to demonstrate how cities can be engines of COVID-19 recovery, shared prosperity, and climate action
The Coalition's new report aims to inspire action by other national governments ahead of critical COP26 summit in Glasgow.
LONDON (March 17, 2021) — A new report from the Coalition for Urban Transitions finds that in order to accelerate COVID-19 recovery, achieve shared prosperity, and drive climate action, national governments must invest in cities to significantly accelerate decarbonisation and enhance resilience.
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The Clean Air Catalyst will work to accelerate clean air solutions in low- and middle-income countries. Photo by Saurav Purkayastha/Dreamstime
Nine out of 10 people are exposed to polluted air, according to the World Health Organization. Cities in the developing world are at the frontlines of this health and climate crisis.