Webinars And Videos

A transportation budget can find hundreds of millions for highway expansion, and somehow the smaller projects are where the money gets tight. More often than not, expansion is assumed to be necessary, while smaller safety fixes and other worthwhile transportation projects have to prove why they deserve funding at all.

Street safety is about more than individual choices. How we design our streets can help prevent tragedies before they happen.

Our Restoration for Food (Restore4Food) Program is exploring that question alongside farmers and partners connecting local knowledge and evidence with finance, markets, policy, research and partnerships. 🌱 Explore Restore4Food: https://bit.ly/3TOvTAz 🤝 Interested in working with us? FoodTeamWRIAfrica@wri.org

Pedestrian deaths are still 72% higher than they were in 2009. Even with the recent decline, Smart Growth America estimates that at the current pace it would take until 2042 just to get back to that earlier level.

Adding housing doesn’t always mean building farther out. ADUs can create another home on land that already has streets, utilities, and a neighborhood around it, giving more people a place to live without extending all of that infrastructure somewhere new.

Can AVs help bring about a more equitable future? Their adoption could lead to great outcomes for society at large, but planners play a key role in ensuring shared autonomous vehicles are prioritized over private ones. In Jun Wang’s course, Planning Implications and Design for AV Futures, she details key ways that planners can adopt AVs that support society.

A blinking light is a sign that something isn’t working. Small changes like improving visibility and upgrading crosswalks can make streets safer for everyone.

Seeing old videos of Wrigley Field after visiting shows you how different a place can feel when it’s designed for people, not cars.

Are autonomous vehicles safe? Depending on how AVs are adopted, there are a wide range of safety outcomes that we see for various demographics. Private fleets, shared fleets, and mixed fleets all will deliver different outcomes for different people. Jun Wang, a researcher in shared autonomous mobility, lays it all out in her course, Planning Implications and Design for AV Futures. #planetizen #autonomousvehicles #planning

Congress pushed back the deadline, but the bigger question remains: What should America’s transportation program actually be for?

Austin’s light rail is getting picked apart over cost, while highway expansion still gets treated like the normal way to spend billions. If transit has to answer for its price tag, highways should too.

We say we want more local businesses, so why do we make it so hard for them to get started?

What if better transportation could transform a city? EMBARQ was a global network dedicated to helping cities create more sustainable and accessible transportation systems. Founded by the World Resources Institute and built by experts from each target city, EMBARQ worked with governments, businesses, and communities to develop practical solutions for the growing challenges of urban mobility. At a time when rapid urbanization was bringing more cars, congestion, air pollution, and traffic deaths to cities around the world, EMBARQ saw an opportunity to do things differently. The organization helped cities design and implement safer, cleaner, and more efficient transportation systems—from bus rapid transit and bicycle infrastructure to improved road safety and public spaces. By combining research with hands-on work in cities, EMBARQ helped demonstrate that better transportation could improve people’s daily lives while reducing emissions and making cities more equitable. Its work showed that transforming how people move through cities could also transform the cities themselves. #sustainabletransport #transformingtransportation #embarq — Stories that Changed the World is a look back at some of World Resources Institute’s most challenging, impactful and inspiring initiatives of our 40+ year history. For decades WRI has pioneered some of the most effective and innovative solutions to global climate and environmental issues. 👉With EMBARQ, we were on the ground building sustainable transport solutions in congested cities. 👉With the New Climate Economy, we proved that climate action was the growth opportunity of the 21st century. 👉With the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, we gave companies the tools to measure and address their own emissions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXklGfC7xKw 👉With Global Forest Watch, we used satellite technology and cloud computing to shine a light on exactly where deforestation was happening, in every corner of the earth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxNMQwKaqoU 👉 With the 20×20 Initiative, we built a network to restore degraded land across Latin America and the Caribbean. Each of these groundbreaking initiatives grew the World Resources Institute, enabling it to harness new technology and new ideas in the fight for people, nature and climate. The initiatives became reality thanks to the vision and energy of WRI’s people, who saw what would make a difference and worked hard to make them happen. These are the stories of those WRI people who made a difference. 🌍 Official website: https://www.wri.org/stories-of-wri 🔗LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-resources-institute 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldresources/ 🙏🏼 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldresources/ 🦋 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/worldresources.bsky.social 🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/WorldResources 🌎 Sign up for WRI Digest: https://go.wri.org/4hwQ0Kp Special thanks to Wikimedia Commons, EMBARQ, Toni Lindau, Adri Lobo, and Madhav Pai for their video and photos.

What if fighting climate change could make economies stronger? The New Climate Economy was a global initiative that set out to answer one of the most important questions of the 21st century: Could the world address climate change while creating jobs, reducing poverty, and improving people’s lives? Led by the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, with the World Resources Institute as its managing partner, the initiative brought together political leaders, economists, businesses, and researchers to find the answer. NCE’s research demonstrated that investments in clean energy, sustainable cities, efficient transportation, and better land use could create new economic opportunities while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It showed that a low-carbon future was not simply an environmental necessity—it could also be a pathway to stronger economies, healthier communities, and greater prosperity. 📖 Learn more: https://www.wri.org/stories-changed-world/new-climate-economy 🌍 Website: https://www.wri.org/climate #newclimateeconomy — Stories that Changed the World is a look back at some of World Resources Institute’s most challenging, impactful and inspiring initiatives of our 40+ year history. For decades WRI has pioneered some of the most effective and innovative solutions to global climate and environmental issues. 👉With EMBARQ, we were on the ground building sustainable transport solutions in congested cities. https://youtu.be.com/watch?v=WRfcF5yF8Ss 👉With the New Climate Economy, we proved that climate action was the growth opportunity of the 21st century. 👉With the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, we gave companies the tools to measure and address their own emissions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXklGfC7xKw 👉With Global Forest Watch, we used satellite technology and cloud computing to shine a light on exactly where deforestation was happening, in every corner of the earth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxNMQwKaqoU 👉 With the 20×20 Initiative, we built a network to restore degraded land across Latin America and the Caribbean. Each of these groundbreaking initiatives grew the World Resources Institute, enabling it to harness new technology and new ideas in the fight for people, nature and climate. The initiatives became reality thanks to the vision and energy of WRI’s people, who saw what would make a difference and worked hard to make them happen. These are the stories of those WRI people who made a difference. 🌍 Official website: https://www.wri.org/stories-of-wri 🔗LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-resources-institute 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldresources/ 🙏🏼 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldresources/ 🦋 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/worldresources.bsky.social 🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/WorldResources 🌎 Sign up for WRI Digest: https://go.wri.org/4hwQ0Kp Special thanks to Wikimedia Commons, Vatican Media, Center for Global Development, Global Environment Facility, Global Landscapes Forum, COP20 Lima, and COP24 Katowice.

Park(ing) Day is a global annual event where people and organizations help people imagine what else parking spaces could be used for. Sometimes cities and businesses might even like the change and make it a long-term change. Parking spaces might be used for gardens, bikes, a dining area, or a variety of things! #parkingday #urbanism #cityplanning #shoplocal #safesreets

Sometimes making your city better really can start with something as simple as a bench.

If a highway needs this many ramps just to connect to itself, what are we actually accomplishing?

A few quick fixes, like paint, planters, medians, and protected space, could make the danger easier to see and give people walking or biking a safer way through.

What if Colombia’s transition to a greener economy could also create millions of better jobs? Colombia has the biodiversity, talent and economic potential to build a more inclusive, resilient and competitive future—through renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, nature-based tourism and other emerging industries. But a green economy won’t build itself. It will require smart public policy, investment in skills and training, innovation, and stronger connections between national and local governments. As Colombia develops its next National Development Plan, the opportunity is to make climate action part of a broader strategy for inclusive economic growth—and ensure that the jobs of the future work for people and communities today.

AVs will have a huge impact on parking. Though depending on how they’re adopted, there could be vastly different ways that it changes parking. Come see Jun Wang’s insights onto what our future might look like with different approaches to autonomous vehicles in her new course, Planning Implications and Design for AV Futures. #autonomousvehicles #planetizen #parking

Walkable and bikeable cities aren’t just for single people of a certain age or political demographic, but they’re for families too. Here are some glimpses of family life in Chicago and Chattanooga.  #family #urbanism #chicago #chattanooga #kidsonbikes

And what if removing a freeway doesn’t create the traffic nightmare everyone expects?

As translators of policy, talking with the public is such an essential part of a planner’s job. Yet degree programs often don’t address this crucial topic. In this course, Corrin Wendell covers essential tips to have effective communication with the public and how to make the public feel heard. #planetizen #corrinwendell #publicspeaking

Writing staff reports can feel overwhelming to begin with. Having the right structure for an effective staff report is key to starting your career off in the right direction. Corrin Wendell walks through this structure and what to cover in this course to guide young planners towards success. #planetizen #corrinwendell #staffreport

Unsure how your role fits in? The first few years in planning can feel like drinking from a firehose. New planners are expected to understand zoning codes, answer public questions, process development applications and present to decision-makers — often with little formal or on-the-ground training. This course provides an essential toolbox that explains how core planning processes actually work in practice, from permits and development review to public meetings and everyday counter interactions. It covers key topics new planners encounter on the job such as conditional use permits, development agreements, tax increment financing, tax abatement and development review processes. Participants will also explore how planners communicate with the public, respond to difficult questions and present technical information clearly to elected officials and community members. Through real-world examples and practical guidance, participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how planning decisions move from application to approval — and how new planners can contribute confidently and effectively. #planetizen #corrinwendell #urbanplanning

Where did Miranda rights come from? A landmark Supreme Court case reshaped how constitutional protections work during police questioning. Peter Henn explains the case behind the warning nearly everyone recognizes today. #Planetizen #ConstitutionalLaw #LegalHistory

Bias can enter through training data, prompts, and the assumptions built into how AI is used. Knowing where bias comes from helps planners catch it before it shapes real-world decisions. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI

From ChatGPT to ArcGIS, AI can help planners research, automate tasks, and work through ideas more efficiently. The value comes from knowing which tool fits the job – and keeping human judgment in charge. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI

Using AI well means creating clear processes for human review, transparency, and accountability. Build workflows that make AI useful without outsourcing professional judgment. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI

AI can help planners pull key themes, concerns, and action items from hours of community discussion. Spend less time sorting notes and more time responding to what residents said. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI