Houston Community Sustainability
Four engagement platforms connecting FIFA World Cup hosting with sustainability practice, data, ecology, international exchange, and host-city learning.
Program feature
The Rice World Cup Cities Hack is a sustainability-focused virtual data hackathon tied to the FIFA World Cup 2026. Teams analyze the sustainability impact of the World Cup on host cities like Houston and build data management and visualization solutions.
Platform 1
Approximately 20 Sustainable Ecologies installations were designed and about 12 were constructed as a public-facing activation under the Entrance One oak trees. Related digital programming lighting displays were setup on the gate of Rice Campus Entrance One and under the Sally Port of Lovett Hall.
Open PlatformPlatform 2
A one-week best practices learning trip connecting Houston's World Cup 2026 planning with Paris lessons in sustainable events, mobility, public space, climate action, and legacy delivery.
Open PlatformPlatform 3
Two Urban Sustainability Innovation labs feature UNLEASH innovation training from Copenhagen, Denmark and a three-month prediction analytics hackathon for transportation, resources, heat, public health, and growth corridors.
Platform 4
A best-practices platform for translating major-event lessons into guidance for operations, public engagement, procurement, infrastructure, hospitality, mobility, and legacy planning.
Open Platform