Organization · Community
Global Urban Development (GUD)
Global Urban Development (GUD) is a non-profit policy organization focused on urban sustainability and community development, with a network of over 700 urban leaders across multiple countries.
Overview
What Global Urban Development (GUD) does
What Global Urban Development (GUD) is
Global Urban Development (GUD) is a non-profit policy organization focused on urban sustainability and community development, with a network of over 700 urban leaders across multiple countries.
How it participates in the startup ecosystem
The current public profile supports community capabilities. Each capability below is shown separately so organization identity and role-specific information do not get conflated.
Operational profile
Organization status and context
Organization status describes the entity itself. Funding and program availability appear within the relevant capability profile.
- Operational status
- Active
- Organization type
- Community
- Founded
- Founded in 2001
- Approximate age
- About 25 years
- Structured capabilities
- Community
- Last reviewed
- April 27, 2026
Official channels
Find Global Urban Development (GUD) elsewhere
Open the official website or a supported primary organization account.
Capability profile
Global Urban Development (GUD) as a community
Community overview
Global Urban Development (GUD) is a non-profit organization founded in 2001, with a network of over 900 urban leaders and experts across 65 countries. The organization has offices in various cities including Barcelona, Beijing, Berkeley, Cape Town, and Washington, DC. GUD focuses on education, research, and action to promote sustainable and inclusive urban development globally. Its mission is to enable all people to thrive in peace with each other and with nature, emphasizing themes of sustainability, prosperity, innovation, and inclusiveness.
Community focus
GUD engages in projects that aim to create sustainable urban environments through its framework of Metropolitan Economic Strategy, Sustainable Innovation, and Inclusive Prosperity. The organization works on developing Sustainable Innovation Zones in various countries, including Brazil, Panama, Australia, the US, Poland, Sweden, and Czechia. GUD's approach emphasizes practical actions to achieve visionary goals, promoting sustainable economic growth and community development.
Membership
- Recorded members
- 900
- Pricing models
- free
Format and cadence
- Modality
- in-person
- Schedule
- rolling-admissions
- Commitment
- light
Availability
- Membership state
- Accepting
Audience and fit
- Audience
- Builders · Researchers
- Benefits
- network-access and mentorship
- Program types
- community and other
- Selection criteria
- open
- Regions
- Global
Community activity
Notable members
Key team members include Marc Weiss (Chairman and CEO), Habiba Al Marashi (Vice Chair & UAE Coordinator), Banning Garrett (Vice Chair), Jane Katz (Vice Chair), Robert Zdenek (President), and Nancy Sedmak-Weiss (Secretary-Treasurer and Chief Legal Officer).
Common questions
What to know about Global Urban Development (GUD)
Upseed classifies Global Urban Development (GUD) under the Community organization type. Its current public profile includes community capabilities.
Source and update disclosure
Know what this page is based on
Source basis
Public organization and program material, official websites, and structured Upseed records.
Last reviewed
April 27, 2026
Known limits
Capability profiles appear only when a structured public profile also contains decision-useful role evidence. Terms and availability can change.
Upseed is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organization described on this page.