In This Indonesian City, Community-Led Design Is Improving Water and Sanitation
In This Indonesian City, Community-Led Design Is Improving Water and Sanitation
On rainy days, Meliana Mei walks along an elevated pathway from her home in Makassar, Indonesia, to the market. Water collects in trenches below the path and drains away, giving her a much safer way to reach her destination. “Our ...
Celebrating 50 Years of Bogotá’s Ciclovía and the Growth of the Open Streets Movement
Celebrating 50 Years of Bogotá’s Ciclovía and the Growth of the Open Streets Movement
Every Sunday morning, Bogotá, Colombia, transforms its streets. Over 120 kilometers (75 miles) of major city roads are closed to cars and opened to cyclists, walkers and runners in the Sunday Ciclovía. The 50-year-old weekly tradition has evolved from a social ...
Using Spatial Analyses to Help Build Thriving, Resilient Communities in US Cities
Using Spatial Analyses to Help Build Thriving, Resilient Communities in US Cities
Picture this: you wake up on a Sunday morning and hop on a bike with your family or a close friend. Within a few minutes you arrive at a coffee shop, order your drink of choice while listening to the ...
Charted: How Could Rising Temperatures Affect Your City?
Charted: How Could Rising Temperatures Affect Your City?
A decade ago, scientists believed that unchecked global warming could heat the world to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) above preindustrial levels sometime around 2045. It now looks like we could pass this critical threshold as soon as 2030. Indeed, some research ...
Reviving Nairobi’s Libraries Is Building Healthier Communities
Reviving Nairobi's Libraries Is Building Healthier Communities
At Eastlands Library in Nairobi, Kenya, students compare notes and work through assignments as music from a tree-lined courtyard drifts through the windows. In another part of the library, a dance instructor is leading a group of children through breathing ...
Most Cities Are Getting Hotter. Not All Residents Feel It Equally
Most Cities Are Getting Hotter. Not All Residents Feel It Equally
On a hot day in February 2024, volunteers dispersed across Cape Town, South Africa, with sensors affixed to their cars. Their aim was to measure heat differences across the city. In Cape Town’s dense, highly developed center, they recorded air temperatures ...
From Infrastructure to Impact: 3 Lessons on Jobs and Growth From Transforming Transportation 2026
From Infrastructure to Impact: 3 Lessons on Jobs and Growth From Transforming Transportation 2026
Last week, WRI Ross Center co-convened the 23rd edition of Transforming Transportation with our partners at the World Bank. Supported by FIA Foundation, the forum in Washington, DC, brought together more than 5,000 in-person and online participants, reflecting the event’s ...
Rwanda’s Cities Turn to Green-Gray Infrastructure to Address Climate Risks
Rwanda’s Cities Turn to Green-Gray Infrastructure to Address Climate Risks
Over the next few decades, Rwanda is positioned to become one of the most competitive investment destinations in East Africa. National targets, such as achieving upper middle-income status by 2035 and high-income status by 2050 (Vision 2050)1, signal the government’s ...
Citizen Voices Are Reshaping Manila’s Transport System to Put People First
Citizen Voices Are Reshaping Manila’s Transport System to Put People First
On most days, Doc Mau, a disability advocate and Manila local, walks between 5,000 and 10,000 steps on crutches, choosing routes within the city with even sidewalks and clearly marked crossings. She pauses to catch her breath along tree-lined paths ...
‘Plug-In Solar’ Has Faced Major Red Tape in Most States. That Could Soon Change
'Plug-In Solar' Has Faced Major Red Tape in Most States. That Could Soon Change
With electricity prices up nearly 30% since 2010 across the United States, governors and state policymakers are under growing pressure to help households manage rising energy costs. Many are now turning to an emerging technology gaining traction in Europe: plug-in solar, also ...