Coalition for Urban Transitions

What Coalition for Urban Transitions does

The Coalition for Urban Transitions was a non-profit policy research coalition active from 2016 to 2021, established as a special initiative of the New Climate Economy on the sidelines of COP21 in Paris. It was jointly managed by C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, operating through a partnership of over 35 leading institutions across five continents. Its core offering was evidence-based policy research and strategic technical assistance to national government decision-makers on transforming cities to deliver economic prosperity and climate action, structured around five global research programmes (Economics, Policy, Finance, Energy, Mobility) and four country programmes in China, Ghana, Mexico, and Tanzania.

The Coalition's primary products were two flagship reports: 'Climate Emergency, Urban Opportunity' (September 2019) and 'Seizing the Urban Opportunity' (March 2021), the latter backed by 50 organisations and the UN Secretary General. The organisation had no commercial technology platform or proprietary software; its 'core technology' was research-based evidence and policy frameworks. The revenue model was grant-funded institutional support rather than commercial pricing. The Coalition influenced China's 14th Five Year Plan, contributed to procurement of nearly 500 electric buses in Bogotá, and projected that investments in proven low-carbon urban measures could cut 90% of city emissions globally and yield nearly $24 trillion in economic returns by 2050.

The Coalition sunset at the end of 2021, with ongoing work transitioned to the continuing partnership between WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and C40 Cities. All knowledge products remain accessible through urbantransitions.global.

Name

Coalition for Urban Transitions

Legal name

Coalition for Urban Transitions

Website

https://coalitionforurbantransitions.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coalition for Urban Transitions was a non-profit policy research initiative (2016-2021) that provided evidence-based research and technical assistance to national governments on transforming cities for climate action and economic prosperity, jointly managed by C40 Cities and WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Advisory

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

Keywords

• Urban climate policy
• Sustainable cities research
• Policy research advisory
• Economic transition policy
• Climate research coalition

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Coalition for Urban Transitions is a non-profit policy research coalition that supports national governments to secure economic prosperity and tackle the climate crisis by transforming cities. It jointly convenes research and country-level engagement through C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, producing flagship reports, global research programmes on urban economics, finance, energy and mobility, and tailored country programmes in China, Ghana, Mexico and Tanzania.

Product overview

The Coalition for Urban Transitions (active 2016-2021) was a policy and research initiative, not a technology product company. Its offerings consisted of flagship reports, global research programmes, and country-specific technical assistance. The flagship reports—Seizing the Urban Opportunity (2021) and Climate Emergency, Urban Opportunity (2019)—were backed by 50 organisations and the UN Secretary General. The Global Research Programmes covered Economics, Policy, Finance, Energy, and Mobility themes. Country Programmes provided tailored support to China, Ghana, Mexico, and Tanzania. The organization also produced knowledge products and policy recommendations for national governments. All resources continue to be accessible through urbantransitions.global following the Coalition's sunset in 2021.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seizing the Urban Opportunity Flagship research report translating the value of compact, connected, coordinated cities into national-level policy recommendations for governments.
• Climate Emergency, Urban Opportunity Flagship policy report outlining how national governments can harness cities to deliver climate goals while advancing inclusive economic prosperity.
• Global Research Programmes Five cross-cutting research programmes covering Urban Economics, National Urban Policy, Finance, Energy, and Mobility, generating evidence for national-level urban decision-making.
• Country Programmes In-country engagement programmes in China, Ghana, Mexico and Tanzania that translate coalition research into national policy support.
• Knowledge Products and Policy Recommendations Targeted policy briefs, technical notes and recommendations produced for use by national policymakers and city leaders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Investments in proven low-carbon measures could cut 90% of emissions from cities globally and provide a return of nearly $24 trillion by 2050

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Joint manager of the Coalition alongside WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. C40 Cities is a network of mayors of the world's large cities committed to climate action. Formed the ongoing partnership through which Coalition work continues post-sunset.
• WRI Ross Center for Sustainable CitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Joint manager of the Coalition alongside C40 Cities. The World Resources Institute's Ross Center for Sustainable Cities leads global work on sustainable urban development. Formed the ongoing partnership through which Coalition work continues post-sunset.
• New Climate Economy (NCE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015The Coalition was a special initiative of the New Climate Economy, a global initiative that makes the economic case for climate action. NCE provided overall strategic direction and institutional backing for the Coalition.
• 35+ Leading Institutions NetworkflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of over 35 leading institutions across five continents that collaborated on making the case for national action on cities. This broad coalition helped scale the urban transition agenda globally.
• UN Secretary GeneralflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBacked the Coalition's two global flagship reports, lending high-level international legitimacy to the urban transition agenda at the highest political levels.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: Network of global mayors committed to climate action; was a joint manager of the Coalition and continues its urban climate mandate. Closest peer because it shares the same urban-climate policy agenda, partnership-based operating model, and global geographic footprint.
• WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities: World Resources Institute's programme on sustainable urban development; jointly managed the Coalition with C40. Direct peer because it operates the same evidence-to-policy model on cities, climate, and mobility at global scale with overlapping institutional partners.
• New Climate Economy: Parent initiative that housed the Coalition as a special initiative; produced the economic case for climate action that the Coalition's urban work operationalised. Direct peer because of shared analytical framework, donor base, and senior personnel overlap.

Emerging players

• Climate Bonds Initiative: International organisation working to mobilise capital for climate solutions through green-bond standards, including for low-carbon urban infrastructure. Comparable because it overlaps with the Coalition's Finance research programme and targets similar urban investment outcomes, though it focuses on capital-markets instruments rather than national policy.
• Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN): Network of US city sustainability directors advancing peer-to-peer learning and joint urban climate initiatives. Comparable because of the coalition-based model for advancing urban sustainability policy, but operates regionally (North America) and at city rather than national level.

Broad incumbents

• CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project): Global disclosure system for cities, companies, and investors on environmental impact. Comparable because it drives evidence-based urban climate action through data, though it uses measurement and benchmarking rather than national-policy engagement.
• Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy: International alliance of city leaders addressing climate change through city-level commitments. Comparable as a peer because it pursues overlapping climate-and-cities advocacy but emphasises direct city pledges rather than national-government policy frameworks.
• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability: Global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable development. Comparable because it works at the city/government interface on urban sustainability, though it focuses on city-level (not national) engagement.
• United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG): Worldwide network of cities, local and regional governments, and municipal associations. Comparable because it advocates for sustainable urban policy at the international level, though its constituency and governance model differ from the Coalition's national-government focus.

Others

• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD): CEO-led organisation of more than 200 forward-thinking businesses working on sustainable development. Comparable as a thematically adjacent policy-research coalition with a global partnership model, though it represents corporate rather than governmental stakeholders.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coalitionurban
• Facebookfacebook.com/coalitionforurbantransitions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coalitionforurbantransitions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Coalition for Urban Transitions