What's Next for Cities?
WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
Helping cities make big ideas happen. Project of World Resources Institute. Producer of TheCityFix.com
2024 has been a tumultuous year. And cities, in their position straddling local, national and global politics, will face new challenges.
But?there are pathways?to continue implementing ambitious climate and sustainable development agendas as part of the core municipal mandate to keep people safe, improve quality of life and drive economic development.
Nature-based solutions have proven to be effective in managing heat and water while creating better quality of life. Examples of market transformation for electric mobility are promising. These solutions are less vulnerable to ideological agendas and provide immediate benefits to residents. Demand for neighborhoods based on proximity and quality of life has also never been bigger. Indeed, as we enter the new year and take stock of COP29, the World Urban Forum and the COP16 Biodiversity Summit, I believe we will see cities emerge as the missing piece of many puzzles around the world – helping channel positive change for people, nature and climate.
As you can see below, the breadth and impact of city-led sustainability efforts around the world remains a powerful force.
- Rogier van den Berg Global Director, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
?? Around Our Network
Unpacking COP29’s New Climate Finance Goal
The new goal agreed upon in Baku – $300 billion annually by 2035 – sets an important, albeit modest, foundation to help developing countries transition to a low-carbon future and protect residents from the worst impacts of climate change. But while $300 billion is triple the previous target, it is far from sufficient to meet the total needs of developing nations. Learn more →
New NDC Guidance to Enhance Climate Ambition Through Partnerships with Cities, States, Regions
New guidance from WRI, created in partnership with the Coalition for High-Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) for Climate Action, recommends a three-step approach: 1) review existing multilevel partnerships to identify gaps; 2) plan meaningful engagement with subnational entities; and 3) craft ambitious NDCs that incorporate subnational targets. Learn more →
WRI to Lead Zero Emissions & Resilient Buildings (ZERB) Accelerator
Launched at COP29 by the Subnational Climate Action Leaders' Exchange (SCALE) partnership, the ZERB Accelerator aims to reduce operational and embodied greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen climate resilience in the buildings sector through enhanced multilevel collaboration with subnational governments. Learn more →
Europe’s Cities Should Prepare for Hotter, More Hazardous Days
Just days before the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the U20 Summit gathered over 80 mayors and 100 city delegations in Rio de Janeiro to explore solutions and craft recommendations for national leaders to elevate local and urban issues during G20 discussions. Learn more →
Urban20 Summit Highlights Subnational-National Collaboration
New research from WRI India outlines efficient and cost-effective methodology to assess tree cover in areas outside of forests, offering a valuable tool to address socio-urban environmental challenges and enable sustainable land-use planning. Learn more →
Beyond Collecting Fares, How Can Cities Fund Public Transport?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, fare revenues – the primary source of income for most public transport operations – sharply declined. New research from WRI investigates how 12 cities filled their funding gaps, exemplifying the need for sustainable, context-specific solutions to ensure transit systems' resilience. Read the blog. Learn more →
Nature-Based Solutions Are Improving Africa’s Urban Resilience
In Dire Dawa, Johannesburg and Kigali, WRI’s Scaling Urban Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) initiative is planting trees, creating vegetated buffer zones and reintroducing indigenous species to combat the dual threats of water insecurity and flooding. Learn more →
Accessing Climate Finance for Transport in Low- & Middle-Income Countries
After examining 839 transport projects across Africa, Asia and Latin America, 14 case studies explore international climate finance sources and their support for transport projects, offering valuable insights into how low- and middle-income countries access climate finance. Learn more →
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Semi-Finalists Selected in Detroit’s Sustainable Cities Challenge
In partnership with WRI, the city of Detroit and Challenge Works, the Toyota Mobility Foundation announced 10 semi-finalists focused on decreasing fossil fuel use and reducing freight costs in Detroit’s Eastern Market. Semi-finalists will each receive $50,000 and participate in an innovation academy. Learn more →
Bringing Electric Bus Lessons from India to Mexico
Following the success of India’s Aggregated Demand Model for electric bus procurement, WRI México hosted a series of peer exchanges between Mexican mobility and finance practitioners and WRI India experts to explore how India’s model could help transform Mexico’s fleets. Learn more →
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?? What's New From TheCityFix
Top 10 Blogs from 2024
From Kampala to Porto Alegre, this year’s most-read posts on TheCityFix illustrate how cities are implementing innovative and sustainable solutions that not only increase efficiency and resilience, but equity and accessibility. Learn more →
ICLEI Africa Leads New Secretariat for ACWA Platform
Following a successful two-year initiation phase led by WRI, ICLEI Africa were announced as new hosts of the African Cities Water Adaptation Platform Secretariat – a powerful coalition building systems resilience – at the World Urban Forum. Learn more →
How Cities Can Beat Extreme Heat
In partnership with WRI Ross Center’s Data for Cool Cities initiative, Cape Town is gathering a range of detailed data on temperature and thermal comfort, a metric that not only considers air temperature but other factors like surface reflectivity, shade and airflow. Learn more →
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Potential of Shared Mobility in Bogotá, Curitiba & Mexico City
While shared mobility is a tool that can address many challenges, its success depends on a supportive policy environment, effective governance, and active collaboration among transit agencies, private service providers, research organizations, financial institutions and commuters. Learn more →
Decoding Subnational Climate Budgeting in Maharashtra, India
In India, state budgets play a significant role in enabling sector-wide mitigation, while city and municipal budgets provide practical support such as allocations for urban services that help residents cope with the impacts of climate change. Learn more →
The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US
Updated with new findings as of October 2024 from WRI’s Electric School Bus Data Dashboard, there now are nearly 5,000 electric school buses serving approximately 254,000 students in 49 states, Washington, D.C., American Samoa, Puerto Rico and seven tribal schools. Learn more →
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Public Participation Is ‘Missing Link’ in Effective Urban Heat Mitigation
By encouraging residents and leaders to share intimate knowledge about local heat challenges, cities can build the kind of nuanced, responsive databases they need to develop effective, community-based heat mitigation efforts. Learn more →
Lessons from Detroit’s Community Benefits Ordinance
The first U.S. city to pass a law ensuring communities have a say in development projects, Detroit offers valuable insights about how to center local voices, deliver quantifiable results through community benefits frameworks, and ensure they’re monitored and enforced. Learn more →
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Electric Mobility Analyst, Cities – WRI Brasil (Porto Alegre, Brazil)
Electric Mobility Analyst, Cities – WRI Brasil (Washington, DC, U.S.)
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1 周How can cities integrate nature-based solutions and community-driven development to create resilient urban environments that balance growth with environmental sustainability? #UrbanResilience #ClimateAction #SustainableCities #NatureBasedSolutions #UrbanDevelopment #ClimateFinance #CommunityEngagement #Sustainability
The cities rise, their towers gleam, But do they hear the forests’ dream? Where nature’s voice, though soft and kind, Seeks a place for hearts to find. Resilience blooms, not just on stone, But where the earth has softly grown. Listen, for in roots lies strength, Closer to nature, we find our length.
Independent Advisor
1 个月Interessante
Communication and PR professional
1 个月Love seeing cities take charge with nature-based solutions and sustainable development. The focus on electric mobility and resilience is so inspiring! Can’t wait to see more positive changes ahead.