ITDP’s message of building clean, equitable cities anchored by sustainable transport has been championed by everyone from mayors of major cities to pedestrians in need of safer streets. Now, that message has the opportunity to reach an even larger audience through one of the world’s preeminent philanthropic organizations.

This year, ITDP will participate in the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation that convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. As a member of the CGI community, ITDP is connected to a prestigious group of leaders and organizations from around the world. The CGI Annual Meeting has brought together 190 sitting and former heads of state, more than 20 Nobel Price laureates, and hundreds of leading CEO’s, heads of foundations and NGOs, and major philanthropists. Participating in CGI will present ITDP with new opportunities to connect with others improving cities and share solutions with a wide audience of change-makers.

Cities all over the world face grave challenges in tackling pollution, social disparity, and the growing threat of climate change. ITDP’s contribution will tackle these challenges by building on our work of using safe, accessible public transit as the centerpiece of modern equitable urban development. Though still being finalized, our Commitment to Action will focus on catalyzing the construction of new bus rapid transit in developing cities in the coming years. Being a part of CGI’s network of prominent global leaders gives us an opportunity to spread knowledge about BRT and inspire high-quality projects in regions that haven’t witnessed the positive impacts of a Gold-standard BRT system.

At CGI’s Winter Meeting, one of several year-round gatherings culminating in the Annual Meeting in September, ITDP joined an inter-sectoral group focused on building healthy and livable cities for a roundtable discussion. Along with representatives from the Ford Foundation, the World Resources Institute, and the Project for Public Spaces, ITDP discussed how we can each maximize our impact to improve cities. The meeting was inspiring, and we look forward to a productive year of bringing positive impacts to cities.

For more information about the Clinton Global Initiative, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow them on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

All photos credit: Adam Schultz / Clinton Global Initiative