Last year, real estate magnate Stephen M. Ross began a spending spree of the most public and benevolent kind. In September, several months after signing the Giving Pledge to donate at least half of his wealth to charity, the chairman and founder of Related Companies—the real estate company currently executing the $20 billion redevelopment of Hudson Yards in New York—gave $200 million to alma mater University of Michigan. Last month Ross honored another cause close to his heart, by contributing $30.5 million to the World Resources Institute (WRI), where he serves on the board of directors.
Ross’s gift, the largest in WRI’s history, specifically bolsters the Washington, D.C.-based environmental nonprofit’s urban design efforts in the developing world. Its staff has planned low-carbon cities in Chengdu and Qingdao, China, and advocated the adoption of bus rapid transit through its EMBARQ Network, among other initiatives. Ross spoke with RECORD about how his donation and the accompanying launch of the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities supports and expands this roster.
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