World Resources Institute (WRI) is focusing the next World Resources Report on the challenge of creating productive, sustainable and equitable cities. As part of this initiative, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities invites eminent practitioners and researchers to present their work in a series of seminars. The WRI Cities Research Seminar Series is intended to engage important stakeholders, partners and thought leaders to share ideas and collaborate with us as we continue to develop the World Resources Report. All presentations are recorded, and short video interviews are available here.
All seminars will be held at World Resources Institute in Washington, D.C. If you are interested in attending a seminar, please email Valeria Gelman (seating is limited).
Sebastian Castellanos and Diego Canales, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities The model of operation of informal transport in La Paz (as in other Latin American cities) has led to poor quality of service.
Diego Canales, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities Accessibility analysis has not always been feasible, but the growing availability of standardized data and computing resources, a transport project’s benefits to the residents of, say, a low-income neighborhood can be assessed with a metric more meaningful than a projection of reduced congestion or transit ridership.
Alain Bertaud, NYU Stern Urbanization Project
Karen Seto, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Brian Arbogast, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Between now and 2030, the cities of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia will see faster growth than any other region. Many of these cities are already experiencing water stresses, and as populations increase and climates change, these stresses will only grow. Such cities will simply not have the capacities to provide reliable sanitation via traditional water-borne systems.
Edgar Pieterse, African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town - Just a decade ago most African governments were at best, aspatial in their development ambitions, and more often than not, anti-urban. In 2016, the political and policy landscape looks significantly different.
Peter Ellis and Mark Roberts, World Bank - The number of people in South Asia’s cities rose by 130 million between 2000 and 2011—more than the entire population of Japan. This was linked with an improvement in productivity and a reduction in the incidence of extreme poverty. But the region’s cities have struggled to cope with the pressure of population growth on land, housing, infrastructure, basic services, and the environment.
Sheela Patel, SPARC - Emerging networks and social movements of the urban poor have begun to create simple, powerful and unique ways to equip themselves with knowledge, with proposition and emerging voice and actions at local, national and global forums.
Mathis Wackernagel, Ecological Footprint and CEO of Global Footprint Network - By 2050 the world population is expected to reach 10 billion people, with 70-80% living in urban areas. At the same time, the availability of natural capital is becoming a limiting factor for sustaining economic activity.
Equity is the entry point taken by the upcoming World Resources Report (WRR) focused on cities, a flagship WRI publication.
WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities works to make urban sustainability a reality. Through global research and on-the-ground experience, our experts work with city and national leaders in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Turkey and the United States to spur action and improve life for millions of people.
