News
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Events in Rio de Janeiro brought together over 1,000 people for strong leadership and action on sustainable cities
Jaime Lerner, former Mayor of Curitiba, speaking at the Cities & Transport International Congress. Photo Credit: Benoit colin.
Celebrating 10 years of EMBARQ Brasil, city leaders, planners and professionals from around the world convened in Rio de Janeiro for the Mayors’ Summit on September 9, 2015 and the Cities & Transport International Congress September 10 - 11. Over these three momentous and inspiring days, participants heard from mayors and experts about how cities are the key to tackling climate change and unlocking economic growth at the same time.
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The Ross Center reinforces its approach in Brazil
Luis Antonio Lindau, Director of WRI Sustainable Cities Brasil, during the launch of Ross WRI Center for Sustainable Cities in Brasil (Photo: Mariana Gil / WRI Brasil Sustainable Cities)
After 10 years of work with strong partnerships making Brazilian cities more sustainable, EMBARQ Brasil is now WRI Brasil Sustainable Cities. Building on our expertise in urban transport, this change reflects our growing work to create transformative change in cities across Brazil with a high-quality team of experts. Andrew Steer, President and CEO of WRI, officially announced the brand change at the Mayors Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
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Event will be broadcast live on www.cidadesetransportes.org
Register now for the Cities & Transport International Congress.
Given the widespread challenges of urbanization, mayors need to learn from one another and gain fresh ideas in order to pioneer projects that result in sustainable cities. To inspire city leaders worldwide, WRI Brasil Sustainable Cities is hosting the Mayors’ Summit, which will be attended by Ken Livingstone, Enrique Peñalosa, Mary Jane Ortega, Jaime Lerner, and Sam Adams.
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EMBARQ Mexico workshops will train traffic officers as part of the city’s “Safe Steps” program
Photo by Virgilio Passoti.
According to the World Health Organization, road traffic injuries are expected to become the seventh leading cause of death globally by 2030. In Mexico City, traffic collisions were responsible for 954 deaths in 2012. Road safety continues to be a pressing challenge for Mexico City, particularly considering that the city’s rate of vehicle ownership grows at 4.2 percent annually.
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New publication serves as a practical guide for helping Brazilian cities develop mobility plans
Cycling in Rio de Janeiro. Photo by Benoit Colin.
In 2012, President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil passed legislation that required cities with more than 20,000 residents to incorporate urban mobility planning in their greater development plans in order to receive federal development funding. Known as the National Policy on Urban Mobility, this legislation established principles, guidelines and tools to guide cities in creating urban mobility plans.
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Officials exchanged insights and ideas, identified potential new programs
Two cyclists in Caddebostan, Istanbul, Turkey. Credit: Benoit Colin/WRI.
Bike share has become one of the fastest growing trends in urban transport over the past ten years. From 2004 to 2014, the number of cities with bike share systems increased from 11 to 855. With nine cities already operating bike share systems, Turkey is showing substantial interest in moving toward more sustainable urban mobility.
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Online platform BRTData.org now features 402 mapped BRT corridors and bus lanes
Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brasil
August, 2015 marks an important milestone for BRTData.org—an online database that tracks bus rapid transit (BRT) systems worldwide: the number of mapped BRT systems and corridors passed 400.
BRT is expanding globally. Currently, there are 195 cities with bus priority systems, serving approximately 32.4 million people served every day. With the platform’s latest update, the tool registered three new corridors, including Brampton, Canada and Cordoba, Argentina, bringing the total to 402 corridors and systems.
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Partnership helps the city government develop new policies and activities
Solar panels in Mexico City. Photo Credit: EMBARQ México
City leaders worldwide are increasingly prioritizing energy efficiency, given the growing global demand for energy and the pressing need for climate adaptation. In Mexico City, residential and commercial buildings account for more than 20 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, making building efficiency a vital component of the city’s sustainable development strategy. Leading by example, the local government is assessing options to retrofit its public buildings to decrease energy use.
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A week-long case study revealed lessons for sustainable urban development in Brazil
The Busway, a bus service in the UK. Photo credit: Maria Fernanda Cavalcanti/EMBARQ Brasil
To stay competitive on a global level, London reinvents itself every day. Through the London Infrastructure Plan 2050, the Greater London Authority (GLA) is responsible for ensuring that this happens. The GLA implements low-carbon reforms in transport, energy, and waste management, using urban planning to address population growth in the metropolitan area.
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A bi-annual workshop from WRI India Sustainable Cities convened experts, emphasized the need for quality transport services
Transport in Gurgaon, India. Photo Credit: Peter Makholm/Flickr (slightly modified from the original)
“When we plan a city, the plans are usually restricted to land-use. But we need to move beyond land-use. What’s more important is how to move people” –Vikas Gupta, Municipal Commissioner of Gurgaon, India
