WRI Stories Feed: EMBARQ: The WRI Center for Sustainable Transport

5 Keys to Sustainable Development in Indian Cities

Holger Dalkmann — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:04:41 -0400

This post also appears on TheCityFix.com.

Indian cities…

ADVISORY: CONNECTKaro sustainable transport and urbanization event set to kick-off in Mumbai

Lauren Zelin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:27:27 -0400

On April 15-16, Indian and international experts will discuss the current scenario of sustainable transport and urban planning in India, and the opportunities for the future of sustainable cities

EMBARQ India, the World Resources Institute’s centre for sustainable transport and urban planning in India, will be hosting CONNECTKaro, a conference that brings together international leaders in sustainable transport and urban development April 15-16 in Mumbai. This is the inaugural meeting of CONNECTKaro, the regional event part of a global series of events focused on sustainable transport that the EMBARQ network organizes. Over 150 experts including government officials, policy makers, and practitioners in the field of urban transport and urban planning will convene in Mumbai, India, to participate in this global gathering.

The theme for the conference is “Karo” – to make it happen – to translate ideas into action. Scaling sustainable transport and ensuring it is integrated with land development is key for Indian cities as they grow in population, economically and spatially, over the next decade. The ideas of sustainable transport and integrated land development have been demonstrated in a few cities around the world. CONNECTKaro sessions will focus how these can be adapted and replicated in India.

EMBARQ India’s bi-annual Bus Karo Plus “Talking Transit” workshop series will be part of the conference, held in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Electrical Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST).

The opening plenary session, on April 15, will set the vision for the conference and will include remarks from Dr. Sudhir Krishna, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development; Mr. UPS Madan, Commissioner, MMRDA; Mr. OP Gupta, General Manager, BEST Undertaking; Mr. Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman and MD, Godrej and Boyce Ltd; Ms. Henriette Vamberg, Director, Cities, Gehl Architects, and Mr. Madhav Pai, Director, EMBARQ India.

On April 16, the closing plenary will focus on “Market Opportunities for Sustainable Transport” and will include: Mr. Manish Bapna, Executive VP and Managing Director, WRI; and Mr. Madhav Pai, Director, EMBARQ India; along with Mr. Anil Baijal, Non Executive Chairman, IDFC Foundation / Former Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India; Mr. Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman WRI India; and Dr. Armin Bruck, CEO Siemens India.

Other sessions of the conference include road safety in Indian cities, enhancing safe access to transit nodes, transit-oriented development, master planning, the role of auto-rickshaws in sustainable transport, and others, bringing together industry experts to discuss the current scenario and the way forward in effecting positive interventions in sustainable transport and urban planning.

You can find a detailed programme of events here.

WHAT:
CONNECTKaro, a sustainable transport and urban development conference

WHEN:
April 15 – 16, 2013

WHERE:
Trident Hotel
Nairman Point
Mumbai, India

To watch the sessions in a live webcast, register here

For more information or to set up media interviews, please contact dkottadiel@embarqindia.org

4 Big Ideas to Revolutionize Transportation

Sarah Parsons — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:17:05 -0500

Two leaders on urban development recently came together on the same stage: Dr. Jim Yong Kim and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Kim, president of the World Bank, and Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, headlined a panel at the…

RELEASE: C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and World Resources Institute Partner to Promote City Transit Solutions

James Anderson — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 22:44:03 -0500

The World Resources Institute, led by its sustainable transport center, EMBARQ, and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) established a partnership today that will further their mutual goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from urban transportation. The partnership focuses on scaling up solutions and enhancing C40 cities transport efforts related to sustainable urban planning, bus rapid transit systems, and non-motorized transit initiatives.

Together, these organizations will tackle a transport sector that accounts for roughly 13 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

“This new partnership with EMBARQ and its global network of transportation expertise will accelerate the work cities are doing to implement more efficient and effective transit systems,” said C40 Chair and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “By combining the forces of two organizations that know how to get things done we will help provide greater transit options that will help us build a more sustainable planet.”

For over ten years, EMBARQ has catalyzed and implemented sustainable transport solutions to improve the quality of life in cities in terms of pollution, public health, and safety. Similarly, C40 works to implement innovative, replicable transit solutions that reduce GHG emissions at the city level.

“Mayor Bloomberg and the leaders of other C40 cities are committed to shifting to a low-carbon future – and this partnership will help them to get there,” said Andrew Steer, President, World Resources Institute. “The world’s middle class is booming and people are more mobile than ever before. We need smart, people-focused transportation solutions that will help create better cities and a more sustainable world.”

C40 and the World Resources Institute cemented a long-standing relationship through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that will encourage the two entities to collaborate on the following:

Supporting climate mitigation and adaptation measures through sustainable and equitable transportation policies in C40 cities;
Leveraging C40 networks, or working groups of peer C40 cities (e.g. Sustainable Urban Development Network and Bus Rapid Transit Network), to develop and share integrated transit and urban development planning in and among C40 cities; and
Collaborating to support and promote low-carbon urban development in C40 cities, with particular attention paid to bus rapid transit and non-motorized transport.

EMBARQ is already actively working in the following C40 Cities: Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo (Brazil); Mexico City (Mexico); Lima (Peru); Istanbul (Turkey); Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore (India).

“By combining our vast networks and deep technical capacity, C40 and EMBARQ are positioned to make a significant contribution to reducing city-level emissions and creating better transport systems,” said Holger Dalkmann, director, EMBARQ. “Mayor Bloomberg is a proven leader by transforming New York City and raising the ambition of mayors around the world. Now, we need to more cities to follow C40’s lead by scaling up transportation and low-carbon solutions that create a healthier and safer world.”

The two organizations have collaborated in the past. C40 is currently working with EMBARQ’s parent organization, WRI, to establish a single standard for measuring city emissions – the Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Additionally, Mayor Bloomberg’s philanthropic foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, also collaborates with and provides support for EMBARQ’s international activities to improve road safety.

Media Contacts:

World Resources Institute: Michael Oko, moko@wri.org; (202) 246-9269
C40: Mike Marinello, mmarinello@c40.com

–

About C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40)
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) is a network of large and engaged cities from around the world committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate related actions locally that will help address climate change globally. C40 was established in 2005 and expanded via a partnership in 2006 with President William J. Clinton’s Climate Initiative (CCI). The current chair of the C40 is New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. To learn more about the work of C40 and our Cities, please visit www.c40.org, follow us on Twitter @c40cities and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/C40Cities.

About EMBARQ—WRI’s Center for Sustainable Transport (EMBARQ)
EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute’s center for sustainable transport, catalyzes and helps implement sustainable transport solutions to improve quality of life in cities. Since 2002, the EMBARQ network has expanded to Mexico, Brazil, China, India, Turkey and the Andean Region, collaborating with local and national authorities, business and civil society to reduce pollution, improve public health, and create safe, accessible and attractive urban public spaces. http://www.embarq.org

3 Big Opportunities to Transform Transportation

Holger Dalkmann — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:43:03 -0500

The need for action on sustainable transport has never been more apparent than it is today. The world’s population is expected to reach a whopping 9.8 billion people…

ADVISORY: Mayor Bloomberg and World Bank President Kim Headline Transforming Transportation 2013

James Anderson — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:24:38 -0500

The Honorable Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, and Dr. Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank, are scheduled to headline a keynote session at the annual Transforming Transportation conference in Washington, D.C. The session on “Shaping the Future of Urban Transport” aims to galvanize awareness of challenges facing cities and urban transport, share examples and solutions from the World Bank, New York City/Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the World Resources Institute.

The conference is being hosted jointly by EMBARQ—the World Resource Institute’s center for sustainable transport and the World Bank. This is the 10th annual Transforming Transportation, which aims to scale-up and advance the adoption of sustainable solutions in transport and urbanization around the world.

The session will also include remarks by Dr. Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute, and Ms. Rachel Kyte, Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank. The session will be moderated by Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist’s Economics Editor based in Washington D.C.

The session will focus on the urban challenges in the U.S. and around the globe. Cities everywhere are under increased pressure from rapid population growth, exacerbated by climate change and extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Sandy. Increased motorization is also resulting in negative externalities such as congestion, emissions, and road fatalities. The conference will explore how scaling up sustainable transport will bring the smart solutions to the diverse set of challenges that cities are facing.

WHAT:
Plenary Session with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York; Dr. Jim Kim, President, World Bank; Andrew Steer, President, World Resources Institute; Ms. Rachel Kyte, Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank.

WHEN:
Friday, January 18, 2013

TIME:
9:00 to 10:00 a.m. ET
Note: Registered media should arrive by 08:30 a.m. in order to sign in.

PLACE:
Preston Auditorium
World Bank Headquarters
1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC

The event will be live streamed. Check “Watch Live” at TransformingTransportation.org

NOTE: Media must register for this event to Alexis O’Brien at aobrien@worldbank.org or tel. (202) 473-2409

For more information, please contact:
Michael Oko, moko@wri.org; (202) 729-7684 (WRI)

WRI’s website: www.wri.org
EMBARQ website: www.EMBARQ.org
Conference website: http://TransformingTransportation.org
Twitter hashtag: #TTDC

Zipcar’s Purchase by Avis: Car Sharing Success or Failure?

Clayton Lane — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:41:27 -0500

This post originally appeared on TheCityFix.com.

Zipcar’s $500 million…

The Trillion RMB Question: How Can China Fund its Sustainable Urban Transport Growth?

Holger Dalkmann — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:48:35 -0500

This piece was co-authored with Daniel Bongardt, Transport Policy Advisor with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

China—especially its cities—has embraced…

EMBARQ India Named Joint Winner of the 2012 Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award

Michael Oko — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:29:22 -0400

Volvo Bus Corporation awards innovation in sustainable transport at event in Bangalore

The Volvo Bus Corporation announced the winners of the 2012 Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award, naming EMBARQ India and the Indian Urban Space Foundation as joint recipients of the prize at the Sweden-India Nobel Week Seminar, at the Leela Palace in Bangalore, India, yesterday.

The award was handed out by M.K. Shankarlinge Gowda, Principal Secretary (Transport), Government of Karnataka. The award, now in its second edition, recognizes progressive and practical action to promote sustainable solutions in urban mobility. Indian Urban Space Foundation was awarded for its Tender SURE project, while EMBARQ India won for its ongoing project, in partnership with the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), which aims to improve bus services along the Hosur Road corridor. This is a pilot project for improving the efficiency and quality of public transport services along major arterial roads in Bangalore.

“We’re honored to receive this award. It is encouraging to see our work being recognized by others in the urban transport community,” said Madhav Pai, Director, EMBARQ India.

To counter the negative externalities of urban growth and improve the quality and quantity of public transport in Bangalore, EMBARQ India recommended moving BMTC’s bus services from a ‘Direct Services Model’ to a ‘Connective System Model,’ whereby bus routes would be organized in a more efficient ‘trunk-and-feeder’ system.

“The benefit of this system over the Direct Services Model is that it relies on direction-oriented, rather than destination-oriented travel, is easier to scale up as transport demand increases, allows users to select the most efficient trip patterns, and helps system planners to accurately match demand to supply,” said Ashwin Prabhu, a transport planner at EMBARQ India, who has worked on this project with BMTC.

BMTC already has an extensive bus-based public transport system with an impressive track record of growth over the past decade, currently serving nearly 5 million passengers daily. However, the pressure on Bangalore’s urban transport system is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, with the growing population and other effects of increased urbanization. In the absence of high quality, efficient, and affordable public transport, the majority of the growth in transport demand will be served by private motor vehicles, such as cars and two-wheelers.

EMBARQ India, which is a member of EMBARQ–WRI’s center for sustainable transport–hopes to use this pilot project on Hosur Road as a model for other arterials in the city, as well as other cities in the country.

“Mainstreaming the notion of the integrated systems model in public transport planning in India will be the key to achieving a future in which public transport captures the majority of travel demand in urban India, making our cities better places to live, work, and play,” said Pai.

Reflections on the 8th International Congress on Sustainable Transport

Andrew Steer — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:19:45 -0400

Who said urban transport was boring? Certainly not the 1,100 people who recently gathered in Mexico City at the 8th annual International Congress on Sustainable Transport….