Mexico City, November 27, 2018—The Mexico office of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) joined the World Resources Institute Mexico (WRI Mexico), C40, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Faculty of Architecture of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), and UN Habitat in launching today the Coalition for Urban Transitions – Mexico Chapter (CTU MX).
“With the Coalition, we seek to support national governments as they face economic, social and climatic urban challenges, through the analysis and promotion of public polices that help us create cities for all,” noted Aniruddha Dasgupta, Global Director of the Ross Center for Sustainable Cities at the World Resources Institute.
The Coalition for Urban Transitions, supported by the British Embassy, is an initiative that seeks to identify, design and evaluate public policy instruments that accelerate the transformation of the model of urbanization in Mexico and address the urban challenges across the country. The Coalition aligns with GGGI’s work in Mexico, particularly the subnational work on green growth, which GGGI has begun in the State of Sonora and aims to replicate in other subnational entities in 2019.
“A multi‑actor and multi‑disciplinary approach is needed to develop solutions to shape green cities”, emphasized Pablo Martinez, GGGI Mexico Country Representative. “With this alliance, GGGI – which is already a member of the global Coalition for Urban Transitions – confirms its commitment to support green economic development in Mexican cities in partnership with local champions”.
Through the Coalition for Urban Transitions, members of the alliance will promote a model of urban development that is more compact, connect, safe and inclusive. Organizations will carry out research on social inequality, environmental opportunities, potential for economic impact and investment priorities. They will work closely with the government to develop technical capacity in these areas and to identify, prioritize and evaluation public policy instruments with the greatest impact in local contexts. Now is an opportune time for the launch of the coalition which coincides closely with government change at the federal and local levels.
“Today our cities are growing four times more in peripheral areas than in urban centers, on average. This means that more of the population is moving further from services and development opportunities. The Coalition for Urban Transitions seeks to identify, design and evaluate public policy instruments in the areas of housing, land management, urban planning, and metropolitan mobility and transport, to better distribute opportunities in peripheral territories and therefore improve the quality of life of all Mexicans,” said Adriana Lobo, Executive Director of WRI Mexico.
Cities are the center of wealth generation but are also the centers of concentrated poverty. Through cities, people are connected with the world and at the same time suffering from inequality. Investing public resources in urban initiatives that provide equitable access to goods, opportunities and services in the territories is a valuable opportunity for Mexico and one that the Coalition aims to address. GGGI will do this through incorporating opportunities for economic growth, environmental sustainability and social inclusion in public policy, project design, green investment and capacity building.