Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP)

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy works around the world to design and implement high quality transport systems and policy solutions that make cities more livable, equitable, and sustainable. ITDP is a global nonprofit at the forefront of innovation, providing technical expertise to accelerate the growth of sustainable transport and urban development around the world. Through our transport projects, policy advocacy, and research publications, we work to reduce carbon emissions, enhance social inclusion, and improve the quality of life for people in cities. ITDP has offices in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, and the United States; employs more than 80 staff members; and supplements this team with leading architects, urban planners, transport experts, developers, and financiers. History: Founded in 1985, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) has become a leading organization in the promotion of environmentally sustainable and equitable transportation policies and projects worldwide. ITDP was created by sustainable transport advocates in the U.S. to counteract the export to developing countries of costly and environmentally damaging models of dependence on the private automobile. In its first ten years, ITDP successfully advocated for the redirection of lending activity by the World Bank and other multi-lateral institutions away from an exclusive focus on road projects and toward more multi-modal transport solutions. In more recent years, we have focused on working with municipalities and non-governmental organizations in developing countries to implement projects that demonstrate how transport emissions, collisions, and road fatalities can be reduced, or how the basic mobility of the poor can be improved. ITDP’s primary programs include the development of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, promoting the use of Transit-oriented Development (TOD), and planning facilities for bicycles and pedestrians. Further programs include traffic demand management (TDM), parking regulations, and the revitalization of city centers. Below is a brief history of ITDP and how our work has developed.