News & blogs
Featuring voices from cities, experts, and partners, these stories of innovation and impact are drawn from across the GPSC’s global network. News and blogs showcase progress, lessons, and thought leadership on sustainable urban development.
Featured blogs
The Wetland Advantage: Nature-Based Solutions Power Rwanda’s Urban Future
STORY HIGHLIGHTS Kigali is bringing nearly 500 hectares of urban wetlands back to life—the largest city-wide urban wetland rehabilitation in Africa and one of the largest in the world. This “living infrastructure” has new spaces for tourism, education and recreation, improves water quality and biodiversity, and enhances the usability of adjacent land while bolstering the city’s frontline defense against floods. Through RUDPII, 220,500 people in flood-prone neighborhoods will directly benefit from reduced flooding and a healthier environment. That’s roughly a
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Riding into a greener future: How widespread use of subways could slash CO₂ emissions
The climate crisis is getting worse, with both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and COP28 in its final agreement emphasizing the urgency of steep greenhouse gas emissions reductions to keep global warming below 1.5°C as overshooting 1.5° C might have a catastrophic impact. Given that urban areas may account for over 70 percent of global CO₂ emissions, many public policy analysts began advocating for public investment in low-carbon mass transit, particularly in countries that are not yet locked
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Transforming our cities: a collective path to sustainability
What do sustainable cities mean to you? For many, it is about more than just green spaces and clean air. Sustainable cities are the nexus where innovative solutions converge to create resilient communities, fostering a delicate balance between economic prosperity, ecological integrity, and social equity. With urban sprawl encroaching upon natural habitats and climate change-induced disasters becoming more frequent, which pose threats to ecosystems, biodiversity, human health, and overall well-being, the need for building sustainable cities has never been more
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Featured news
Inception Workshop Launches Sustainable City Project in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region
The inception workshop for the Sustainable City Project for the Coordinated Development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) Region marked the formal launch of an ambitious initiative under the GEF-8 Sustainable Cities Integrated Program (SCIP) . Jointly organized by UNIDO and the China Society of Automotive Engineers, the event brought together approximately 100 representatives from national ministries, municipal governments, international organizations, and technical institutions to align on a shared vision for low-carbon, resilient urban development. Participants included the Ministry of Finance, serving
News
The World Bank and the GEF launch next phase of Sustainable Cities Integrated Program
The World Bank and the GEF expand support to 40 additional cities with targeted grants and co-financing pathways to drive sustainable urban development Mayors and city leaders from 23 cities met in Rio de Janeiro ahead of COP30 alongside representatives from major multilateral development banks to launch the next phase of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Sustainable Cities Integrated Program. “Cities are at the forefront of sustainability, leadership and innovation,” said GEF CEO Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, opening the event. “Complex
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SDG 11 aims to make cities and communities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Cities today face the challenge of rising waste – particularly in the
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Cities worldwide are grappling with the adverse effects of Urban Heat Island (UHI)[1], intensified by rising global temperatures from climate change. The
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Originally published here Since the 2015 Paris Agreement, there has been a groundswell in city-level commitment to climate action: almost 9,400 cities around
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Cities are at the forefront of understanding risks and devising ways to manage them. Cities worldwide are grappling with the impacts of climate change. Extreme
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The demand for investment in the affordable housing sector has never been greater. More than one billion people live in slums globally – a figure that is
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Originally Published here Fishermen in Indonesia know it from experience: the country’s mangroves are not just stabilizing an eroding coastline and preventing
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Explore the GPSC Newsletter to discover how cities worldwide are advancing integrated, resilient, and nature-positive urban development through innovation
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High levels of poverty coupled with conflict, instability, and climate-induced disasters, make the Sahel a difficult environment for the people that live there
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Biodiversity loss is set to significantly disrupt the world economy over the next decade. Despite the data and engagement challenges ahead, systematic and
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Whether they want it or not, cities will have to play a central role in the fight against climate change as they host over half of the world’s population and
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