
WRI Ross Center’s goal is to help cities transform their physical infrastructure, institutions and mindsets.
Our unique Deep Dive Cities approach of multi-year, multi-sector engagement with places like Bengaluru, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro allows us to build coalitions, work across political administrations and implement strategic projects that catalyze urban transformation.
From project inception to financing, implementation and lessons learned, we help cities not only create change but sustain it.
Cities are complex, living systems; single-sector solutions do not always address the full scope of urban problems. We focus on an integrated approach across three areas that form the backbone of cities: land use and economic development, mobility, and energy and resource efficiency. We have found solutions that cut across multiple sectors are most effective, with the greatest potential to trigger systemic, lasting change.
WRI Ross Center’s value is that we can bring these road-tested and data-proven solutions to scale, from the local to the global level. Our unique strategy allows us to effect change from neighborhood projects to municipalities, national legislation and global coalitions.
Building sustainable solutions for the world’s 5,000+ largest and fastest-growing cities requires collaboration on a global scale. We are committed to partnerships as a central tenet to how we reach more people and therefore actively seek them out to help accomplish strategic goals. By engaging a range of stakeholders, we elevate our impact to more cities and support global efforts to build sustainable solutions for people and the planet.
WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities works on Urban Mobility, Urban Development, and Urban Efficiency & Climate. Explore all projects in depth.
Urban Mobility
Visit ProjectImproving quality of life, health and opportunity in cities through sustainable and safe transport and urban design.
Part of CitiesUrban Development
Visit ProjectDesigning and influencing urban spaces that build resilience, improve health, and equitably connect people and opportunities.
Part of CitiesUrban Efficiency & Climate
Visit ProjectHelping cities optimize, electrify and decarbonize.
Part of Cities
All Projects
Equitable Clean Energy for Communities
Visit ProjectWorking to expand clean energy access to all communities, especially those who are climate-vulnerable and have historically had the least access to the benefits of clean energy due to systemic inequities.
Part of EnergyCanAIRy Alert
Visit ProjectPartnership supporting air quality managers to develop air pollution forecasting tools and better understand its sources, including representatives from Latin American and African cities sharing best practices, successful tools and management case studies from cities around the world.
Part of CitiesSafe & Sustainable Mobility: Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety
Visit ProjectReducing road traffic fatalities and injuries through a comprehensive, data-driven approach.
Part of CitiesNurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge
Launch PlatformLaunch Platform Visit ProjectSupporting Indian cities to shape safe, green and inclusive neighborhoods for infants, toddlers and their caregivers.
Part of CitiesHealth & Road Safety
Visit ProjectCreating safer mobility systems to connect people to opportunities and foster sustainable, equitable cities
Part of CitiesStation Access and Mobility Program (STAMP)
Launch PlatformLaunch Platform Visit ProjectImproving access to and efficiency of metro rail in India through better integration with other transport networks.
Part of CitiesCreating Thriving, Resilient Cities in Africa
Visit ProjectWRI Africa influences policy and provides decision-makers with data and evidence to help create cities that are good for people and the planet.
Part of CitiesAccelerating Subnational Actions for Carbon Neutrality in China
Visit ProjectAccelerating and scaling up subnational actions to support the goal of carbon neutrality in China by 2060
Part of CitiesQualiÔnibus – Quality Public Transport
Visit ProjectWRI Brasil developed the QualiÔnibus Program to support cities and operators in the process of continuous quality improvement with a focus on people.
Part of CitiesElectric Ride-Hailing
Visit ProjectAccelerating greenhouse gas emissions reductions across communities through electrifying ride-hailing fleets.
Part of CitiesTheCityFix Labs
Visit ProjectAccelerating private sector innovation for sustainable urban development
Part of CitiesExpanding Transport Electrification in Mexico
Visit ProjectSupporting the decarbonization of transport in Mexico by planning for EV charging infrastructure and BRT electrification
Part of Cities
