Cities Are Heating Up. Better Infrastructure Can Cool Them Down.
Cities Are Heating Up. Better Infrastructure Can Cool Them Down.
In a city, a grassy park might be a place to stretch out with a book, an asphalt road your route to work, a building wall a canvas for a mural. But beyond their familiar roles, each of these surfaces ...
A Comprehensive Guide for Safer Roads and Livable Cities
A Comprehensive Guide for Safer Roads and Livable Cities
Road traffic crashes kill about 1.19 million people each year and seriously injure another 20 million to 50 million. Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists — the most vulnerable road users — account for half of these deaths and injuries. Even people in motor ...
Hot in the City. But It Doesn’t Have to Be — We Have Answers
Hot in the City. But It Doesn't Have to Be — We Have Answers
This op-ed was originally published by Context, the media platform of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, on June 16, 2025. Read the original piece here. A new study has found that 4 billion people – half of the world’s population – endured ...
Co-Creating a More Sustainable and Livable Caferağa
Co-Creating a More Sustainable and Livable Caferağa
In Istanbul’s Caferağa neighborhood, WRI Türkiye led a community-driven initiative to create a more sustainable, inclusive and livable urban environment. From April 2023 to July 2024, the Livable Caferağa project worked closely with residents to understand the neighborhood’s challenges around overcrowding, ...
Managing Extremes: How South African Cities Are Tackling Water Crises
Managing Extremes: How South African Cities Are Tackling Water Crises
With about 464 millimeters of rainfall per year — less than half the global average — South Africa is one of the driest countries in the world. Its semi-arid climate, uneven rainfall distribution and persistent droughts leave the country facing chronic water ...
Istanbul Tackles Tourist Crowds and Climate Issues Together
Istanbul Tackles Tourist Crowds and Climate Issues Together
Istanbul’s Caferağa neighborhood has a longstanding reputation for its cultural richness and historic charm. Quaint cafes, restaurants and bars line the sidewalks. A thriving arts scene draws an eclectic crowd. More than 2.3 million visitors daily flock to the district ...
These Countries Are Electrifying Their Bus Fleets the Fastest
These Countries Are Electrifying Their Bus Fleets the Fastest
In cities around the world, people are embracing electric buses, which provide a quieter, smoother ride without the harmful pollution from traditional gas and diesel buses. For example, bus riders in Pune, India, will skip boarding a diesel bus to wait for an electric ...
River Restored: How Litter Traps & Local Art Are Reviving Johannesburg’s Jukskei River 
River Restored: How Litter Traps & Local Art Are Reviving Johannesburg’s Jukskei River 
In Gauteng Province, the Jukskei River winds its way through the heart of Johannesburg’s inner-city neighborhoods, informal settlements and suburban areas, eventually joining the Crocodile and Limpopo rivers before emptying into the Indian Ocean. One of the biggest waterways in ...
Johannesburg to Restore Urban Rivers Using Lessons From Durban
Johannesburg to Restore Urban Rivers Using Lessons From Durban
South Africa’s cities face growing threats to their water resources, especially rivers, as rapid development and climate change undermine the health of water systems and the ecosystem services they provide. Urban areas are particularly vulnerable to serious flood risks during ...
1.5 Degrees C: Understanding World’s Critical Warming Threshold
1.5 Degrees C: Understanding World’s Critical Warming Threshold
Nearly a decade ago, the world rallied around the Paris Agreement on climate change and the goal of holding global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F). Since then, the “1.5C goal” has become the world’s North Star ...