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In developing megacities around the world, the transportation landscape is changing rapidly, with major implications for climate change, climate resilience, economies, and human health.
On-demand ride apps are booming, urban settlements are expanding, and local vehicle manufacturing is taking off–setting up possibly long-lasting mobility habits. As a surge of private motorized transport is coupled with traffic congestion and local air pollution, planners are struggling to regulate and provide adequate public transportation. Meanwhile, transportation is the fourth-largest and fastest growing sector of greenhouse gas emissions, and cities are affected by increasingly common climate-related shocks. Extreme weather like heat waves and flooding likely disrupts people’s ability to move, disconnecting urban residents from the opportunities around them. These local mobility issues are a global challenge.
The Harvard Center for International Development (CID) hosted the Urban Mobility and Climate Change Conference on March 5-6, 2026, bringing together global leaders and innovators on campus to share ideas and develop solutions for a more sustainable future.
The conference was co-hosted by the Harvard Salata Institute’s Urban Mobility and Climate Change Research Cluster and the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. It combined the strengths of researchers and public policy leadership to drive impactful solutions for lower-emission, healthier, and more resilient cities that thrive.
Advancing Urban Mobility and Climate Solutions Through Interdisciplinary Research and Policy Collaboration
This gathering aims to foster interdisciplinary academic collaboration across fields like urban planning, public policy, economics, computer science, and atmospheric chemistry, and to forge deep collaboration with policymakers on the forefront of these issues. Through these collaborations, we aim to better diagnose pressing challenges and create policy innovations on an accelerated timeline. The conference focused on three themes for research and policy engagement:
- Improve and Decarbonize Urban Transport – Innovate and test strategies to decarbonize urban transport in developing countries while maintaining high levels of mobility, for example, through improving existing urban transport systems, reducing congestion, or laying the groundwork for electric vehicles
- Measure and Reduce Co-Pollutants – Measure the GHG and air pollution effects of urban transport, especially from common or growing modes
- Understand and Adapt to Climate Shocks – Quantify the impact of climate change and climate-induced shocks on urban mobility; propose and evaluate adaptations
Faculty Hosts
Rema Hanna
Rema Hanna
Jeffrey Cheah Professor of South-East Asia Studies and Chair of the International Development Area, Harvard Kennedy School
Gabriel Kreindler
Gabriel Kreindler
Assistant Professor of Economics, Harvard University
Urban Mobility & Climate Change Conference 2026 | Day 1
Missed Day 1 of the conference? Watch the full recording to explore opening remarks, research presentations, and policy discussions on sustainable urban mobility, emissions reduction, and climate resilience.
Urban Mobility & Climate Change Conference 2026 | Day 2
Missed Day 2 of the conference? Watch the full recording to explore research presentations and discussions on urban transport systems, congestion, and adapting to climate-related challenges.
Conference Reflections and Related Research
Thursday, March 5
8:00 am
Breakfast & Registration
All sessions will be held at Harvard Kennedy School, Taubman Building, in the Nye Abc Conference Room & Allison Dining Room on the fifth floor.
9:00 am – Block 1
Opening Remarks
Rema Hanna
Panel
Improving the Efficiency of Private Transport Operators: Lessons from the Ugandan Taxi Sector
Tamara Kerzhner, Carole Voulgaris, Meghan Ference, Gabriel Kreindler (Moderator), Kidde Steven Kiayaga (Recorded Interview), Judith Mbabazi (Recorded Interview)
Academic Talk
Jobs in the Smog: Firm Location and Workers’ Exposure to Pollution in African Cities
Jeanne Sorin
Academic Talk
From Urban Carbon Budgets to Air Pollution Monitoring: Lessons from Jakarta and Mexico City
Thomas Lauvaux (via Zoom)
10:40 am
Coffee Break
11:10 am – Block 2
Panel
Combating Urban Vehicle Emissions
Cuicui Chen, Yoann Bernard, Elaine Buckberg (Moderator/Participant)
Postdoctoral Presentation
A Hedonic Social Cost of Carbon: Evidence from US Migration
Joint project with Tamma Carleton, Marco Tabellini, and Charles A. Taylor
Presented by Guglielmo Zappala
Panel
History and Present of Sustainable Urban Mobility
Bruno Carvalho, Maina Celidonio, Diane Davis, Bilal Islah (Moderator)
12:40 pm
Lunch
1:40 pm – Block 3
Keynote
Mobility and Climate Change
Edward Glaeser
Student Presentation
Fast Times at Gridlock High: How Does Spatially Bundling Services Shift Urban Mobility?
Terry Culpepper
Academic Talk
Spatial Planning of Informal Transport Systems in African Cities
Tamara Kerzhner
3:15 pm
Coffee Break
3:45 pm – Block 4
Academic Talk
How Cities Shape Transport Emissions
Rafael Pereira
Academic Talk
Financing Electric Two-Wheelers in Kenya: Insights from a Pilot
Muhammad Meki
Info Session
Urban Mobility and Climate Change Research Fund RFP
Rema Hanna
Info Session
Smartphone Location Data for Research
Alexa Weiss and Gabriel Kreindler
5:15 pm – Additional Activities for Speakers (By Invitation Only)
Cocktail Reception (Hosted by the Bloomberg Center for Cities)
Off-Campus Dinner
Friday, March 6
8:00 am
Breakfast & Registration
9:00 am – Block 5
Opening Remarks
Gabriel Kreindler
Panel
Adapting to Climate Change: Lessons from South Asia
Omar Masud (via Zoom), Jeanne Sorin, Clare Balboni, Aaron Berman (Moderator)
Academic Talk
Reducing Private Transit Gridlock: The Case of Minibus Taxis in Kampala
Gabriel Kreindler
10:10 am
Coffee Break
10:40 am – Block 6
Panel
Public Transport Optimization: Insights from Jakarta, Indonesia
Arya Gaduh, Daud Joseph, Atika Nur Rahmania, Gabriel Kreindler (Moderator/Participant)
Academic Talk
The Fast, the Slow, and the Congested: Urban Transportation in Rich and Poor Countries
Adam Storeygard
Academic Talk
Urban Flooding and Adaptation
Allan Hsiao
Panel
Cities of Hope
Hugh Cole, Daniela Chacón Arias, and Gabriel Kreindler (Moderator)
Closing Remarks
Rema Hanna
12:45 pm
Lunch
2:00 pm
End of Conference
Combating Urban Vehicle Emissions
Combating Urban Vehicle Emissions
Cuicui Chen
Cuicui Chen
Associate Professor of Economics, SUNY Albany
Yoann Bernard
Yoann Bernard
Global Program Lead, The International Council on Clean Transportation
Elaine Buckberg
Elaine Buckberg
Senior Fellow, Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, Harvard University (Panelist & Moderator)
Improving the Efficiency of Private Transport Operators: Lessons from the Ugandan Taxi Sector
Improving the Efficiency of Private Transport Operators: Lessons from the Ugandan Taxi Sector
Tamara Kerzhner
Tamara Kerzhner
Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Technion Israeli Institute of Technology
Carole Voulgaris
Carole Voulgaris
Associate Professor of Urban Planning, Harvard University
Meghan Ference
Meghan Ference
Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Brooklyn College, CUNY
Gabriel Kreindler
Gabriel Kreindler
Assistant Professor of Economics, Harvard University (Moderator)
Kidde Steven Kiayaga
Kidde Steven Kiayaga
Vice Chair, Federation of Uganda Taxi Operators (UTOF); National Vice Chairman, Amalgamated Transport Workers’ Union (ATGWU) (Recorded Interview)
Judith Mbabazi
Judith Mbabazi
PhD Student and Urban Action Lab Facilitator, Makerere University (Recorded interview)
Adapting to Climate Change: Lessons from South Asia
Adapting to Climate Change: Lessons from South Asia
Muhammad Omar Masud
Muhammad Omar Masud
Chief Executive Officer, The Urban Unit (via Zoom)
Jeanne Sorin
Jeanne Sorin
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago
Clare Balboni
Clare Balboni
Assistant Professor of Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science
Aaron Berman
Aaron Berman
PhD candidate in Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Moderator)
History and Present of Sustainable Urban Mobility
History and Present of Sustainable Urban Mobility
Bruno Carvalho
Bruno Carvalho
Robert and Lois Orchard Professor in the Graduate School of Design / Professor in Romance Languages and Literatures and African and African American Studies, Harvard University
Maína Celidonio
Maína Celidonio
Secretary of Transport of the City of Rio de Janeiro and Associate Professor at PUC-Rio Economics Department
Diane Davis
Diane Davis
Charles Dyer Norton Professor of Regional Planning and Urbanism, Harvard University
Bilal Islah
Bilal Islah
Assistant Professor of Business Economics, Africa Business School, Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique (UM6P) (Moderator)
Cities of Hope
Cities of Hope
Hugh Cole
Hugh Cole
Director Policy & Strategy; Chief Data Officer, City of Cape Town
Daniela Chacón Arias
Daniela Chacón Arias
Harvard Loeb Fellow; Executive Director of Fundación TANDEM
Gabriel Kreindler
Gabriel Kreindler
Assistant Professor of Economics, Harvard University (Moderator)
Public Transport Optimization: Insights from Jakarta, Indonesia
Public Transport Optimization: Insights from Jakarta, Indonesia
Arya Gaduh
Arya Gaduh
Professor of Economics, University of Arkansas
Atika Nur Rahmania
Atika Nur Rahmania
Head of the Regional Development Planning Agency, DKI Jakarta Province
Daud Joseph
Daud Joseph
Director of Operations and Safety, PT Transportasi Jakarta
Gabriel Kreindler
Gabriel Kreindler
Assistant Professor of Economics, Harvard University (Panelist & Moderator)
Reducing Private Transit Gridlock: The Case of Minibus Taxis in Kampala |  Assistant Professor of Economics, Harvard University |
From Urban Carbon Budgets to Air Pollution Monitoring: Lessons from Jakarta and Mexico City (via Zoom) |  Professor of Climate Sciences, University of Reims |
Jobs in the Smog: Firm Location and Workers’ Exposure to Pollution in African Cities |  Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago |
How Cities Shape Transport Emissions |  Researcher, Institute for Applied Economic Research - Ipea, Brazil |
Financing Electric Two‑Wheelers in Kenya: Insights from a Pilot |  Associate Professor and OCIS Fellow in Islamic Finance, University of Oxford |
Urban Flooding and Adaptation |  Assistant Professor of Economics, Stanford University |
The Fast, the Slow, and the Congested: Urban Transportation in Rich and Poor Countries |  Professor of Economics, Tufts University |
Spatial Planning of Informal Transport System in African Cities |  Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Technion Israeli Institute of Technology |
Fast Times at Gridlock High: How Does Spatially Bundling Services Shift Urban Mobility? |  PhD Candidate in Business Economics, Harvard University |
A Hedonic Social Cost of Carbon: Evidence from US Migration (joint project with Tamma Carleton, Marco Tabellini, and Charles A. Taylor) |  Environmental Fellow, Harvard |
Info session: Urban Mobility and Climate Change Research Fund RFP |
Jeffrey Cheah Professor of South-East Asia Studies and Chair of the International Development Area, Harvard Kennedy School |
Info session: Smartphone Location Data for Research |  Senior Research Manager, Harvard Center for International Development
 Assistant Professor of Economics, Harvard University |
Edward Glaeser
Edward Glaeser
Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics, Harvard University
Turning Research into Action
Launching in winter 2026, the Urban Mobility and Climate Change Research Fund will catalyze innovative and interdisciplinary research projects that aim to better diagnose pressing challenges at the intersection of urban mobility and climate change and create policy innovations on an accelerated timeline. We are particularly interested in the context of low- and middle-income countries or research topics that are relevant to low- and middle-income countries and focus on three research themes of the conference:
- Improve and Decarbonize Urban Transport
- Measure and Reduce Co-Pollutants
- Understand and Adapt to Climate Shocks
Harvard affiliates from all schools and departments including faculty, postdocs, and PhD students are eligible to apply, and projects may include external collaborators.
Questions or need more information?
Email us at UrbanMobility@hks.harvard.edu
The Urban Mobility and Climate Change Conference is sponsored by:
