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Sustain Charlotte Hosts International Delegation of Urban Sustainability Leaders

On June 9, our office buzzed with international energy as we welcomed a delegation of nine urban sustainability professionals from nine countries across the globe. Their visit to Charlotte was part of the U.S. Department of State’s prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) — a professional exchange initiative that brings current and emerging leaders to the United States to foster collaboration and the exchange of ideas.

These visitors are all leaders in urban planning, infrastructure, and sustainability in their home countries, and we were honored to share how we’re working to build a more equitable, sustainable, and connected city right here in Charlotte. Their visit was coordinated locally by International House, a valued partner in global exchange and community building.

Learning Across Borders

The visitors came to the U.S. for a program focused on exploring best practices in sustainable and creative urban planning, examining how cities prepare for and recover from disasters, and fostering collaboration among national and international experts to build urban resilience. Their itinerary is arranged by American Councils for International Education on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.

At Sustain Charlotte, we were proud to share our experiences in grassroots advocacy, cross-sector partnerships, and data-driven transportation and land use policy reform. Our conversations ranged from equitable transit investments and Charlotte’s Unified Development Ordinance to walkability, greenways, and lessons we’ve learned about community-centered planning.

Meet the Delegates

We were honored to welcome the following delegates:

  • 🇧🇴 Bolivia – Mayra Ingrid Zalles Trigo, National Representative at the Lower House of the Bolivian Congress
  • 🇧🇷 Brazil – Larissa Menescal, Director, InREDE – Rede Brasileira de Institutos de Planejamento (Brazilian Network of Planning Institutes)
  • 🇪🇪 Estonia – Irina Smirnova, Street Planning Manager, Tallinn Urban Environment and Public Works Department, Tallinn City Government
  • 🇮🇳 India – Vaishnavi Chidambaranathan, Policy Expert, Gender and Policy Lab, Greater Chennai Corporation
  • 🇵🇹 Portugal – José Luis Lopes Tavares, Community Outreach, Housing & Development Advisor, Municipality of Lisbon
  • 🇰🇷 Republic of Korea – Yu Gyusang, Senior Manager, Korea Water Resource Corporation
  • 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia – Aasem Mohammed R. Alabdullatief, Chair of Architecture and Building Science Department, King Saud University
  • 🇸🇰 Slovakia – Katarina Stefancova, Head of the Department of Methodology, Research and Innovation in Spatial Planning, Authority for Spatial Planning and Construction of the Slovak Republic
  • 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe – Permanent Ngoma, Research Fellow, Public Policy and Research Institute of Zimbabwe

A Shared Commitment to Sustainable Cities

While each delegate brought a unique perspective informed by their country’s context, what united us was a shared commitment to designing cities that are more livable, resilient, and inclusive. The discussions reaffirmed how global challenges — from climate change to urban sprawl to housing inequity — require local innovation and international solidarity.

We’re grateful to International House, the U.S. Department of State, and the IVLP for making this exchange possible. And we look forward to continuing this dialogue with our new international colleagues — because building a better city is a global endeavor.

 

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