World Resources Report Update

This briefing updates the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities network on the progress of the World Resources Report (WRR). The report focuses on the global south and the lower 50% of urban income distributions, utilizing seven working papers on urban issues (including energy, water, and transport) and city-level case studies to identify transformative changes for sustainable and equitable urban growth.

• The World Resources Report (WRR) is being developed around seven working papers focusing on seminal urban issues, with each paper incorporating cross-cutting themes of finance, new technologies, economic development policies, and governance.
• The report's framing prioritizes the global south, specifically targeting areas where the majority of future urbanization will occur and where an "urbanization of poverty" is expected. The approach focuses on the needs and quality of life of the lower half of the income distribution to achieve economic prosperity, social equity, and environmental sustainability.
• The WRR team plans to develop three in-depth, cross-sectoral city-level case studies on urban transformation, with Medellín and Surat currently under consideration, and a goal to include a city from Africa.
• The transportation working paper proposes a "40:40:40 strategy" to be achieved by 2040, aiming for a modal split of over 40% quality public transport and over 40% safe walking and biking.
• The urban expansion working paper focuses on managing growth for sustainable and accessible cities, proposing solutions such as regulating private real estate investment, reforming density regulations, and utilizing transit oriented development (TOD) to limit expansion.
• The shelter working paper has shifted its focus toward providing well-located, secure, and affordable housing, specifically addressing the needs of those in informal settlements.

APA

Beard, V., Mahendra, A., Westphal, M., Fischer, A., Colin, B., Varela, S., Jagannathan, V., Canales, D., Gelman, V., King, R., Otto, B., & Hidalgo, D. (n.d.). World Resources Report Update. World Resources Institute. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr-update-vol1.pdf

Chicago

Beard, Victoria, Anjali Mahendra, Michael Westphal, Alyssa Fischer, Benoit Colin, Sebastian Varela, Vijay Jagannathan, et al. World Resources Report Update. World Resources Institute, n.d. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr-update-vol1.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{beardndworld, author = {Beard, Victoria and Mahendra, Anjali and Westphal, Michael and Fischer, Alyssa and Colin, Benoit and Varela, Sebastian and Jagannathan, Vijay and Canales, Diego and Gelman, Valeria and King, Robin and Otto, Betsy and Hidalgo, Dario}, title = {{World Resources Report Update}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr-update-vol1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }