News
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New World Resources Report examines whether extending core services to urban under-served will lay the groundwork for more sustainable urban growth
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo Credit: Mariana Gil/WRI
QUITO//WASHINGTON (October 14, 2016) — Rapidly growing cities are finding it increasingly difficult to provide their residents with core services, like housing, water, energy and transportation — a challenge that is exacerbated as the share of poor people living in urban areas grows.
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Workshop with the Open Government Partnership Supported Local Action on Effective, Accountable Government
WRI will serve as the civil society chair of this Open Government Partnership Steering Committee starting in October. Photo by Open Government Partnership / Flickr
With widespread urbanization and growing climate impacts, the need for effective, accountable local government has never been greater. Creating open governments at the local level can directly improve citizens’ lives because many crucial public services, innovations and reforms are administered locally. Greater transparency and active community engagement in policy deliberations and decision making can make local governments more responsive and accountable.
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WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities study analyzes the potential impacts and challenges of implementing global transport Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Extensive BRT systems and robust pedestrian infrastructure push residents of Belo Horizonte to shift from private car to public transit or walking. Photo by Mariana Gil/WRI Brasil Sustainable Cities/ Flickr
The Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA), under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has collected a variety of initiatives to target and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors. The transport sector initiatives, also supported by Paris Process on Mobility and Climate, focus on shifting travel to public transport and cycling, fuel efficiency for light-duty vehicles and increasing uptake of electric cars and buses.
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New research from WRI Brasil Sustainable Cities and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy highlights the need to improve transit networks and provides recommendations for how to get there
25 percent of São Paulo residents live near public transit, but, with the implementation of the city’s Master Plan and Metropolitan Corridors Program, that number is expected to grow to 70 percent by 2025. Photo credit WRI Brasil Sustainable Cities / Flickr
On September 13th, WRI Brasil Sustainable Cities and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP Brasil) released a study showing that only 25 percent of São Paulo residents live near a public transit station—a strikingly low number compared to the global average.
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Negotiators should focus on stronger commitments, reporting, and follow-up in Habitat III’s final stages
Pedestrians Walk by Housing Complexes in Mumbai, India. Photo by Adam Cohn / Flickr
The third session of the Preparatory Committee of the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Surabaya, Indonesia in July was an opportunity for delegations to come together, finalize the text of the New Urban Agenda and focus on questions of implementation. From the meetings emerged the Surabaya Draft of the New Urban Agenda, and WRI is pleased to provide the following commentary in support of the upcoming negotiations in New York.
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The city of Rio Grande in southern Brazil has been collaborating with WRI Brasil Sustainable Cities to make transit-oriented development equitable for all
Future residents of Junção, in Rio Grande, express happiness and hope for the change that their new homes will bring. Photo by Mariana Gil/WRI Brasil Sustainable Cities.
On August 20, 2016 the Junção Project, a low-income housing project in Rio Grande, Brazil signed contracts to begin construction of houses and apartments for 1,287 families.
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New guide for urban planners and policymakers provides specific design elements to limit traffic crashes and make better, healthier cities.
Bangkok, Thailand. Photo Credit: Philip Roeland/Flickr.
Key Points:
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WRI experts provide feedback to latest version of the Zero Draft
Quito, Ecuador. Photo Credit: Marcio Ramalho/Flickr
Habitat III has released its third version of the Zero Draft of the New Urban Agenda. Our experts have analyzed the newest version and have drafted a response to the document here.
The following are high-level takeaways following the review of the most recent version of the Zero Draft:
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The city’s new construction regulations will make its energy use more sustainable
Mexico City. Photo Credit: Kasper Christensen/Flickr
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The Mayor of Cali and urban development professionals gathered to discuss how to achieve sustainable urban transformation in Colombia’s third-largest city
Cali, Colombia. Photo Credit: ITDP
On June 20, 2016, the Mayor of Cali, Maurice Armitage, opened the “Forum on Transit-Oriented Development for a Sustainable Cali” by positioning the “Green Corridor” at the heart of Cali’s transformation into a sustainable city.