THE PROMISE OF AN URBAN WORLD

The WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities employs an integrated approach combining data-driven research and long-term city partnerships to address urban challenges in land use, mobility, and energy efficiency. The organization focuses on the global south, implementing projects such as low-emission zones in Beijing, sustainable housing standards in Brazil, and last-mile mobility solutions in Bengaluru. Its strategy emphasizes scaling road-tested solutions through national policy guidance and global coalitions to help cities decarbonize and improve equitable access to core services.

• Urban areas are critical to climate goals, generating 75% of energy-related greenhouse gases, and the IPCC requires all cities to decarbonize by 2050 to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• Significant urban growth is expected over the next 30 years, with 2.5 billion people and up to 1 billion additional vehicles entering urban centers, primarily in small-to medium-sized cities across Asia and Africa.
• In Brazil, WRI's work on the Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) housing program led to a 2017 law establishing new federal social housing standards that prioritize connections to public transport and walking/cycling, affecting 136,000 houses and 408,000 direct beneficiaries.
• Beijing's first low-emission zone, launched in 2017 and targeting heavy-duty freight vehicles, is projected to reduce carbon dioxide by 2.5 million metric tons annually and eliminate 95 metric tons of air pollutants daily.
• In Bengaluru, WRI India Ross Center helped the city finance 3,000 additional buses and implemented a Station Access and Mobility Program in 2017-18 that led 35% of its users to shift from private transportation to metro and shared mobility.
• WRI's engagement in Mexico City over two decades includes the development of the Metrobús bus rapid transit system, which serves over 1.2 million daily riders, and the YoMeMuevo advocacy campaign endorsed by over 250 candidates in the 2018 elections.
• The organization identifies a massive funding gap for sustainable urban development, estimating that $5 trillion is needed annually for sustainable infrastructure across all sectors.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). THE PROMISE OF AN URBAN WORLD. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-07/wri-ross-center-brochure.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. THE PROMISE OF AN URBAN WORLD. n.d. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-07/wri-ross-center-brochure.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=THE PROMISE OF AN URBAN WORLD |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-07/wri-ross-center-brochure.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendpromise, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{THE PROMISE OF AN URBAN WORLD}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-07/wri-ross-center-brochure.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }