The World Resources Institute has announced a gift of $63.5 million from business leader and philanthropist Stephen M. Ross in support of the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.

Established in 2014, the Ross Center is focused on shaping a future where cities work better for everyone. Through a network of more than three hundred and fifty experts in Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Turkey, and elsewhere, the center has helped catalyze a number of transformative initiatives, including the passage of road safety laws in India; electric mobility in Colombia and Mexico; low-carbon cities in Chengdu and Qingdao, China; renewable energy development in Bangalore; and more equitable access to transportation in Mexico City. The center also has helped cities avoid 8.8 million tons of carbon-dioxide emissions — roughly equivalent to removing 1.8 million cars from roads for a year. Ross's latest gift brings his total support for the program to $100 million.

Ross, who signed the Giving Pledge in 2013, is a longtime supporter of WRI and helped establish the New Urban Mobility Alliance (NUMO), which is hosted by the center and is focused on leveraging technology to improve mobility.

"Now, more than ever, it is clear that our future depends on building more resilient cities that provide for the needs of people and can respond to risks, including from climate change," said Ross, a WRI board member and the chair of New York-based Related Companies. "I am proud of the work that WRI Ross Center has done to improve how cities are designed and focus on the benefits cities can bring to the environment and people. Now is the time to build on this foundation to bring sustainable cities to more people."

"This truly transformative gift from Stephen comes at a time when we see how fragile our urban systems really are," said WRI president and CEO Andrew Steer. "We need to create cities that can help people — physically, economically, and socially — to better withstand threats now and in the future. We need to ensure that cities are designed to be more inclusive and equitable to help improve the lives of the most vulnerable and marginalized in our society."