Expert Voices: Ingrid Simon (C40 Cities Finance Facility) - Who Pays What for Urban Mobility series (1/2)
Urban mobility systems across the Global South face a fundamental and often unresolved question: who pays for what, through which mechanisms, and with what long-term sustainability? Building on MobiliseYourCity’s latest publication Who Pays What for Urban Mobility? this Expert Voices series consisting of three sessions brings together leading practitioners and financiers to unpack the realities behind funding and financing urban mobility.
Rather than presenting financing as a purely technical issue, the series explores it as a strategic policy question, one that shapes accessibility, equity, and system performance over time. Each session combines insights from the publication with real-world experience from development finance institutions, consultants, and practitioners, addressing how cities can design coherent funding policies, mobilise resources, and structure sustainable investment pipelines.
Session 1/2: Climate perspective for urban mobility finance
Climate ambition is reshaping how cities think about mobility, and how they finance it. This session explores how climate objectives are increasingly influencing urban mobility investments, and how cities can leverage climate finance to fund transport transformation. It will examine how climate considerations, such as emissions reduction, resilience, and air quality, can strengthen the case for investment and unlock new funding opportunities.
The discussion will also focus on the practical side: how cities can move from climate strategies to finance-ready projects, and how instruments such as climate funds, project preparation facilities, and blended finance can support implementation.
Our guest speaker – Ingrid Simon (C40 Cities Finance Facility)
Ingrid Simon is the Director of the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF), where she leads a global programme supporting cities in preparing and financing climate-related infrastructure projects. The CFF works with cities across the Global South to turn climate action plans into bankable, finance-ready projects by providing technical expertise and connecting them to appropriate financing sources. With a background in infrastructure investment and public-private partnerships, she has worked globally on project finance and urban development advisory. Her experience combines climate strategy, financial structuring, and project preparation, helping cities bridge the gap between ambition and implementation.