Global Consortium

Center for Sustainable Urban Development

Columbia Climate School's Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CSUD) focuses on how to build low carbon, healthy, just, sustainable and livable cities. To be effective, center's work embraces inter-and trans disciplinary collaborative and engaged knowledge creation, creative use of technologies, networks and open data, all with a practical focus on feeding constructively into impactful projects, programs and policies.

A key animating question for our work is how to build coalitions and networks as well as support education, communication and outreach to achieve needed institutional and structural change in the face of poverty, deep inequalities, climate change, environmental damage and injustice. CSUD address this overarching question via a wide variety of research and engagement on specific urban components of this challenge. Components include: growing and improving green public transport, expanding equitable access to it, making urbanized land-use more sustainable including, green building designs and zoning, addressing urban poverty and spatial inequalities, building monitoring systems and data bases around both local pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, meeting the SDGs and climate goals, preparing cities for climate change impacts including extreme heat and building just, sustainable and inclusive cities.

Centre for Transport Studies at the University of Cape Town

Centre for Transport Studies at the University of Cape Town is a diverse community of students and staff who strive to have a positive impact on the way people move in cities in Africa. We do this through our research to build and capture knowledge, and through our teaching to share and further enrich that knowledge.

Research centres on six areas:

Paratransit
Land use – transport systems
Travel behaviour
Non-motorised transport
Road safety
Evaluation and assessment methods

The aspects of each research area are described in detail on our research focus page.

Centre for Transport Studies work hand-in-hand with public agencies, practitioners, communities and a wide network of collaborators to respond directly to urban transport, mobility and accessibility challenges in cities on our continent.

Centro Para la Sostenibilidad Urbana (CPSU)

Centro Para la Sostenibilidad Urbana (CPSU) is an NGO that seeks to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable, resilient and inclusive cities and communities, improving the quality of life of those who live, work, travel, study and recreate in them.

CPSU conceive sustainability as something that goes beyond green. We believe that when working on sustainability, we should not only think about the environment, but also about the well-being of people (particularly those most vulnerable) and the local economy. Our actions are framed under Sustainable Development Goal #11 of Sustainable Cities and Communities. However, due to the diversity of topics we work on, we have an impact on other SDGs

Chulalongkorn University Transportation Institute (CUTI)

Chulalongkorn University Transportation Institute (CUTI) is a center for urban mobility and logistics research that informs policy and the public in Thailand. We have a strong international research staff, an extensive global network, and we conduct quantitative and qualitative research with real-world applications.

CUTI was first established as The Maritime Institute in 1991, with a focus on transport and logistics. It has since expanded its focus to include urban mobility. To serve as a dependable reference source for academic studies on transportation and logistics management in Thailand and the ASEAN region.

The Transport Institute is committed to conducting research and development in the field of transport, as well as other related fields, with the objectives of:

To become a knowledge center in the field of transportation, where transportation experts and academics can engage in studying, conducting research, and exchanging knowledge to advance the understanding in transportation.
To develop and enhance the skills and expertise of transportation and logistics personnel in the professional field.
To integrate existing knowledge and information and develop comprehensive transport and logistics information at both national and regional levels, with the aim of disseminating it to the public.
To support teaching and learning in transport and logistics at the graduate level by fostering collaboration with departments or faculty. This collaboration involves integrating research results from the institution into teaching and learning activities. Furthermore, the Institute strives to provide opportunities for students to participate in research work with the institute.

Global Network for Popular Transportation (GNPT)

Global Network for Popular Transportation is a global network of researchers, consultants, advocates, companies, agencies, and institutions committed to changing how the world sees popular transportation.

We believe that popular transportation can play a crucial role in decarbonizing transportation through a Just Transition. We know these systems can be powerful engines for economic mobility and for creating more sustainable and inclusive cities.

Shared-Use Mobility Center

Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) is working to replace car-centric transportation with people-focused shared mobility to fight climate change, promote equity, and strengthen community.

The Shared-Use Mobility Center is a public-interest organization dedicated to achieving equitable, affordable, and environmentally sound mobility across the US through the efficient sharing of transportation assets. By connecting the public and private sectors, piloting programs, conducting new research, and providing policy and technical expertise to cities and regions, SUMC seeks to extend the benefits of shared mobility for all.

Transportation has become the number one source of carbon pollution in the United States. It is the second-largest expense for most families after housing, and lack of reliable access to a car, bus, or train is one of the biggest barriers to employment for Americans today.

New forms of shared mobility offer new opportunities to address some of the most critical issues facing society. In combination with public transit, shared mobility is a powerful tool that cities can use to help reduce transportation costs; lessen air pollution; and expand access to jobs, opportunity, and a better quality of life. But to fully realize these benefits – and truly address poverty, climate change, and racial inequalities – these new modes must work for everyone.

That’s why the Shared-Use Mobility Center’s mission is focused on bringing together the public, private industry, and local communities to forge partnerships, develop resources, and advance new solutions in order to reduce reliance on private automobiles and increase access to environmentally sound, cost-effective transportation options.

SUMC is uniquely suited to accomplish these goals through knowledge creation and education, practical knowledge deployment, convening and connecting, and demonstrating the potential of innovative technologies.

SPARC - Society for The Promotion of Area Resource Centers

SPARC is one of the larger NGOs in India focused on facilitating the creation of voice of the urban poor in the development of the city.

For the past 30 years, the Alliance of SPARC and its two community based social movements, National Slum Dwellers' federation (NSDF) and Mahila Milan has made a profound difference to thousands of households living under the threat of evictions/demolitions by providing them with the tools they need to engage the state and the city to secure permanent housing. The Alliance also works on sanitation and has provided hundreds of thousands of individuals with individual or community toilets in several states of India and supports communities to explore a wide range of solutions which will improve the quality of their lives.

The Bartlett Development Planning Unit - University College London

The Bartlett Development Planning Unit (DPU) at University College London is a world leader in research and postgraduate education, dedicated to fostering socially just and sustainable development in the Global South. As part of The Bartlett, UCL's renowned global faculty of the built environment, the DPU brings 70 years of expertise in academic teaching, research, policy advisory, and capacity building in international development.

Our mission centers on empowering national governments, local authorities, NGOs, aid agencies, and businesses to advance equitable development. The DPU engages in action-oriented collaborations with partners across the globe, emphasizing the importance of maintaining close ties with policy and planning practices. This ongoing engagement enriches our theoretical and methodological approaches, ensuring our teaching and research remain at the cutting edge.

Our work is driven by a commitment to shaping more equitable urban futures, fostering the capacity of professionals and institutions to create positive change in the communities they serve. Through our teaching, research, and action-oriented projects, the DPU continues to be at the forefront of developing and advocating for progressive planning practices that respond to the complex realities of urbanization in the Global South.

The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester is the largest single-site higher education institution in the UK. Our purpose is to advance education, knowledge and wisdom for the good of society. Our vision is to be recognised globally for the excellence of our people, research, learning and innovation, and for the benefits, we bring to society and the environment. The University’s global research agenda are pursued through global research institutes including the Manchester Urban Institute (MUI). MUI’s Transport and Mobilities hub brings together established and emerging researchers across the broad and fragmented disciplines of transport studies including engineering, economics, urban planning, urban design, physical and human geography, sociology, public health and environmental and business studies. MUI researchers lead several projects and research networks, including the International Network for Transport and Accessibility in Low Income Communities (INTALInC)

Universidad de los Andes

Universidad de los Andes was founded in 1948, and it was the first private university in Colombia that was independent from political or religious movements or parties. It was conceived as a study center, a research center, and a place where truth could be upheld. Ever since the university was founded, its activities have focused on excellence, and this is affirmed in the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP).

It is currently the only private university in the country that has been awarded a ten-year institutional accreditation for quality by the National Ministry of Education through Resolution 582 of January 9th 2015.

Universidad de los Andes was ranked eighth by the QS University Rankings 2015/2016 in Latin America, and it occupied the 283rd spot globally. Moreover, the Faculty of Management has the prestigious “Triple Crown”, which consists of three accreditations (EQUIS, AMBA, and AACSB); this is only held by 1% of business schools around the world. Additionally, eight undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Engineering have the International ABET accreditation.

The School of Engineering at the Universidad de los Andes is a leader in the training of engineers and cutting-edge researchers. We invite you to explore our 10 undergraduate programs, all inspired by world practices in the discipline, where technological competencies are not enough, but rather skills in communication, leadership, management and interaction with interdisciplinary teams.

University of Ghana

The University of Ghana, the premier university in Ghana, was founded as the University College of the Gold Coast by Ordinance on August 11, 1948, for the purpose of providing and promoting university education, learning and research. As a university poised to distinguish itself in the areas of research, teaching and learning, to make an impact at the national and international levels, the University is guided by a Strategic Plan. University of Ghana is administered through a central administration which includes a collegiate system comprising the following colleges and a School of Graduate Studies:

College of Basic and Applied Sciences
College of Education
College of Health Sciences
College of Humanities

World Resources Institute (WRI)

WRI is a trusted partner for change. Using research-based approaches, we work globally and in focus countries to meet people’s essential needs; to protect and restore nature; and to stabilize the climate and build more resilient communities. We aim to fundamentally transform the way the world produces food, uses energy and designs its cities to create a better future for all. We work across several topics affecting people, nature and the climate:

WRI has nearly 1,800 staff located around the world. In addition to global initiatives and a coordinated regional presence in Africa and Europe, we prioritize work in 12 focus countries: Brazil, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and the United States.

The foundation of WRI’s work is producing high-quality research, including reports, issue briefs, working papers, guidebooks and more. Our publications are subject to peer review and held to academic standards of excellence for objectivity, rigor and quality. Our research products ultimately inform our projects and implementation work globally and in focus countries.