RMIT researchers win Nobel Sustainability Award

A global initiative co-led by RMIT researchers has received the prestigious Nobel Sustainability Trust 2025 Sustainability Award.

RMIT’s Dr Melanie Lowe, Dr Carl Higgs and Emerita Professor Billie Giles-Corti were part of the team who won the award for 'Outstanding Research and Development for Intelligent and Sustainable Urban Solutions'.

This award recognises the Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities (GOHSC), which is an international and interdisciplinary initiative that measures and promotes the health and sustainability of urban environments.

The GOHSC is a leading global source of evidence-based urban policy and spatial indicators, providing open access tools to benchmark and track progress towards healthy and sustainable cities.

The GOHSC’s flagship initiative, the 1000 Cities Challenge, supports local city teams comprised of policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and advocates to generate indicator reports and scorecards for their city.

The indicators measure what matters for healthy and sustainable cities, such as walkability, access to public space, food stores and public transport, urban heat vulnerability, and the quality of policies that support healthy and sustainable outcomes.

Working with global experts, the RMIT team have been leading the development of new indicators and open-access software tools that remove barriers to information and empower local action.

Rapid transit bus in Mexico City. Credit: Ivan Israel Cruz Flores.

By leveraging global open data and a rigorous, standardised measurement approach, the GOHSC provides actionable neighbourhood-level and city-wide insights and enables comparable city measurement worldwide.

The indicators strengthen local advocacy capabilities and equip policymakers and practitioners with the information needed to make data-informed decisions and track city planning outcomes.

The network currently comprises over 319 researchers and practitioners from 198 cities in 57 countries, representing a truly global movement.

RMIT's Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research & Innovation, Distinguished Professor Calum Drummond AO applauded the win.

"This is a fantastic recognition highlighting the global impact of the GOHSC’s groundbreaking research in the pursuit of sustainable urban futures."

Lowe, who co-directs the GOHSC with Professor Erica Hinckson at Auckland University of Technology said she was honored to receive an award that recognised the impacts of global collaboration in supporting the transition to healthier and more sustainable cities for all.

“I would like to thank and congratulate our international leadership team, and everyone involved in the GOHSC for their dedication to innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration and supporting evidence-informed city planning,” she said.

Peter Nobel, Chairman of the Nobel Sustainability Trust congratulated the award winners and thanked them for their outstanding contributions.

"Their efforts are paving the way toward a future in which humanity can prosper in harmony with the planet.”

The award will be presented at the Nobel Sustainability Trust Summit, which will take place on 4-5 December, 2025, in Miami. The GOHSC will share a total prize fund of up to 1.3 million Swedish kronor (AU$213,000) with two other 2025 Nobel Sustainability Trust award recipients.

Story: Georgie Patterson

Society and Environment

21 October 2025

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Society and Environment

21 October 2025

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