The Faithful Cities initiative seeks to deliver green infrastructure and other practical solutions to holy cities, as well as to encourage a collective spirit of respect for the environment based on the religious and spiritual beliefs of pilgrims and tourists.
Why pilgrim cities? The influence of the faiths and religions cannot be overstated. Around 80 percent of the planet’s population professes a religious or spiritual belief. Religious organizations are the largest social network in the world, with far reaching influence in health care, education, politics and the media. Of greater importance than their influence is the simple message that religions share across borders: our responsibility to care for a shared planet and to unite for a safe future for the next generations. Around the world, pilgrim cities welcome 350 million pilgrims every year, which exert significant pressure on infrastructure, sanitation, waste management, water supplies, etc. Faithful Cities will, in collaboration with the selected cities, show how these challenges can become opportunities for healthier, more prosperous and more resilient urban environments by way of innovative and readily actionable solutions.