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Equitable Planning in Ahmedabad: Beyond Eminent Domain
Equitable Planning in Ahmedabad: Beyond Eminent Domain
A huge challenge for growing cities is provision of core services and infrastructure. Every time a new neighborhood crops up, services like roads, water and sanitation, education, and health centers must be extended to cover new residents. In practice, cities ...
Solving for Water Security at the Source
Solving for Water Security at the Source
In the 1990s, New York City needed a new water filtration system to serve its nearly 8 million people. But the prospect of spending $6-10 billion on a new water treatment plant, and another $100 million on annual operating costs, ...
8 Years Watching and Influencing Urban Transformation: Reflections From a Foundation Program Officer
8 Years Watching and Influencing Urban Transformation: Reflections From a Foundation Program Officer
Can innovative work be achieved by a program officer in a philanthropic organization? I remember asking this question when I started at the Hewlett Foundation in 2010. In my time there, I learned that program staff at philanthropies get to ...
If Your Car Is Stuck in Traffic, It's Not Uber and Lyft's Fault
If Your Car Is Stuck in Traffic, It’s Not Uber and Lyft’s Fault
This is an excerpt reposted courtesy of CityLab, written by WRI Board Member Robin Chase. City streets are a scarce resource, and they can get very congested. During peak times, we want to move as many people through these corridors ...
No, 8 in 10 People Don’t Live in Urban Areas. Not Yet.
No, 8 in 10 People Don’t Live in Urban Areas. Not Yet.
Most people now live in cities and cities are growing rapidly. We are living in the midst of the urbanization age, an age that started in earnest at the beginning of the 19th century, when people first decided en masse ...
India’s Boom Pushed Cities to Their Limits. Here’s How Pune Coped.
India’s Boom Pushed Cities to Their Limits. Here’s How Pune Coped.
Like many Indian cities, Pune’s population exploded over the last three decades. Between 1981 and 2011 it more than doubled as thousands came to work in manufacturing and IT. And like other cities, Pune expanded, eventually engulfing 23 previously separate ...
With Transportation Data, These Cities Became More Sustainable and Socially Inclusive
With Transportation Data, These Cities Became More Sustainable and Socially Inclusive
Cities across the world have pledged to take action on climate change, including planning for more sustainable forms of transportation. Many cities, however, lack the data and information necessary to track and monitor their progress. This data provides valuable examples of transportation ...
Cities Are Taxing Ride-Hailing Services Like Uber and Lyft. Is This a Good Thing?
Cities Are Taxing Ride-Hailing Services Like Uber and Lyft. Is This a Good Thing?
With ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft continuing to gain popularity and drawing attention for their impact on congestion and other urban ills, cities from Washington to São Paolo are moving to the seemingly inevitable next step: special taxes. This is unsurprising. ...
4 Lessons from Bhopal and Bogotá on Launching Citywide Bike Sharing
4 Lessons from Bhopal and Bogotá on Launching Citywide Bike Sharing
Bike sharing has experienced astonishing growth since its first major breakthrough 20 years ago. Following the rise of dockless bike sharing, more than 1,000 cities worldwide now offer bike-sharing services. Around 300 cities implemented new systems in 2017 alone. Bike ...
The $250,000 Question: What Does a Transformative Urban Project Look Like?
The $250,000 Question: What Does a Transformative Urban Project Look Like?
The WRI Ross Prize for Cities seeks to answer the question every city wants to know: How do you achieve lasting, large-scale, positive change in your city? This week, applications for the inaugural $250,000 WRI Ross Prize closed and the ...
Building Efficiency Isn’t Cool, But It’s Critical. How Can We Spur a Global Movement?
Building Efficiency Isn’t Cool, But It’s Critical. How Can We Spur a Global Movement?
The time has never been better – or more critical – for spurring a global building efficiency movement. Building efficiency is one of the most effective near-term opportunities for achieving climate and energy goals. Better efficiency policies for new and ...
Amid Climate Uncertainty, Zero-Carbon Buildings Offer a Guiding North Star
Amid Climate Uncertainty, Zero-Carbon Buildings Offer a Guiding North Star
“Back in the good old days, the construction industry had to worry about a few keys things: Will it stand up, is it functional and does it look nice? Not so anymore.” So began WRI President and CEO Andrew Steer ...
As Road Accidents Pile Up, India Debates a New National Safety Law
As Road Accidents Pile Up, India Debates a New National Safety Law
In July last year, Nitin Gadkari, India’s minister for road transport and highways, informed parliament that the country loses over 150,000 lives to road traffic accidents every year. More damningly, the country has only about 2 percent of the world’s motor vehicles ...
The Better Bus Challenge: Accelerating Mobility Innovation for Public Transit in India
The Better Bus Challenge: Accelerating Mobility Innovation for Public Transit in India
Over the last decade, India has established itself as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Along with an annual GDP growth rate of 7.1 percent, the country is adding over 12 million people to the workforce every year. Coupled ...
Independence Haze: Data Shows Air Pollution Spikes from July 4th Fireworks
Independence Haze: Data Shows Air Pollution Spikes from July 4th Fireworks
Fireworks, block parties and barbeques: Those are the first things that come to mind when the 4th of July rolls around. But what’s least talked about is the quality of breathable air on the nation’s birthday. Data shows that levels of fine ...
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