Four women are taking leadership on transforming their cities into more sustainable habitats. Ekroop Caur, managing director of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), is improving women’s transport safety so that sustainable commuting can feel safe and thus more desirable. The director of Philadelphia’s Mayor’s Office of Sustainability Katherine Gajerwski, is also head of the city’s Greenworks program, which links health and happiness through environmental commitments. Tanya Muller is Secretary of the Environment in Mexico City, taking on the impacts of air pollution and urban environmental health through a push towards sustainable transportation via expanding the city’s bus system, propelling investments in bike shares, and restricting the use of private car. A widespread expansion of green roofs is also on her sustainable city to-do list. Then there is the Mayor of Yokohama, Japan Fumiko Hayashi, a child care advocate whose success in eliminating long childcare waiting lists in Japan’s second largest city has removed women’s hurdles of getting back into the workforce post pregnancy. Photo credit: BMTC
