Global Urban Development (GUD), founded in 2001, is an international policy organization and professional network of more than 700 leaders and experts in 60 countries, committed to enabling everyone in the world to live and thrive in peace with each other and in peace with nature. GUD participates in many global partnerships with the UN, World Bank, and other international organizations to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Climate Agreement, New Urban Agenda, and Sendai Resilience Framework by 2030. In addition, GUD specializes in designing innovative, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth and development strategies for cities, counties, regions, states, and provinces in many countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Italy, Morocco, Panama, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, UAE, UK, and US, by applying GUD's strategic policy and action framework called Metropolitan Economic Strategy, Sustainable Innovation, and Inclusive Prosperity.

GUD’s key recent global initiative is Sustainable Innovation Zones, including ZISPOA in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and ZISSAN in Santo Angelo, Brazil, both implementing GUD’s 2015 World Bank-funded Leapfrog Economic Strategy for the State of Rio Grande do Sul to become the most sustainable and innovative place in Latin American by 2030; the Wheaton Sustainable Innovation Zone (WSIZ) in Montgomery County, Maryland near Washington, DC, funded by the US Department of Energy, and the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation; the Poznan Sustainable Innovation Zone (EDIT Poznan) in Poland, led by the Poznan University of Technology, and Adam Mickiewicz University; the Penrith Sustainable Innovation Community (PSIC) led by Western Sydney University; and the Panama City Sustainable Innovation Zone (ACTA) in Panama; with many more being organized in other countries over the coming decade.