Abstract:

WRI India Ross Center for Sustainable Cities (previously EMBARQ India) has maintained a presence in Bengaluru since 2010. It has served as a key change agent for sustainable development, starting with mobility and moving more broadly to urban development, related services such as energy and water, and climate resilience. WRI India Ross Center’s long-term engagement across multiple sectors and scales makes Bengaluru one of its “deep dive” cities. The main objective of this document is to understand the results of this “deep dive” approach in Bengaluru by evaluating WRI influence, impact and lessons learned over the years. A data-led approach and strong technical skills, combined with a deep understanding of the local context, have established WRI Ross Center, and now WRI India, as an independent, knowledgeable and trusted advisor in Bengaluru. Success factors include flexibility and sustained physical presence, bringing an integrated evidence-based approach, demonstration through on-ground projects, innovative and evolving formats for stakeholder engagement, and the ability to leverage relationships and partnerships for sustained ecosystem change. Challenges include a rapidly growing city, political economy and governance complexities, stakeholder and policy non-alignment, and the short time frames of both funders and partners.