Signaling a new chapter in its study of urban systems, the Urbanization and Global Environmental Change (UGEC) project – hosted by ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability – has received a significant award from the Future Earth initiative. The award, supported by a National Science Foundation grant, represents a chance to expand UGEC’s efforts to address urban environmental challenges with sustainable solutions.

UGEC recognizes that urban environments can serve as an excellent source of innovative, sustainable solutions and has dedicated over eight years to uncovering them, primarily by fostering promising research collaborations in the social sciences. The Future Earth award will broaden the initiative to include more of the natural sciences – areas like ecology, climatology and urban health management. This is expected to result in the comprehensive approach required to adequately address urban sustainability challenges.