Posts in the 'Urban Development' category
Caption: Cities can dramatically improve street vendors’ livelihoods by providing sufficient space and infrastructure for vending. Photo by Prasanth Chandran/Flickr.
Making space for street vendors: Towards equitable urban development
As previously discussed on TheCityFix, informal street vendors in cities around the world experience daily challenges to their economic livelihoods. For example, street vendors are perceived to be detrimental to city life, unhygienic, noisy, and to obstruct smooth flow of ...
Streetcars are one of multiple public transport options for cities to consider when investing in sustainable urban mobility. Photo by Sean Davis/Flickr.
Are streetcars worth the investment?
The Economist recently argued that streetcars are “a waste of money,” citing their high capital costs and inefficiencies as a means of transport. Others have argued that streetcars can be a catalyst for creating dynamic, vibrant urban environments. Both arguments ...
São Paulo’s new master plan prioritizes people, not cars. Photo by mlsirac/Flickr.
São Paulo’s new master plan prioritizes sustainable urban development
The largest city in Latin America has prioritized curbing car culture and making streets more pedestrian friendly. São Paulo’s new strategic master plan, unveiled on July 31, 2014, focuses on people-oriented development and improved public and non-motorized transport. The new ...
The BIG bus network in Bangalore is an example of an integrated transport solution that offers better accessibility through connectivity between transport modes and networks. Photo by Benoit Colin/EMBARQ.
From the director's chair: Sustainable urban transport solutions worth spreading
Holger Dalkmann, Director of EMBARQ – the producer of TheCityFix – wrote about the importance of developed and emerging cities improving sustainable transport in the 2014 Commonwealth Ministers Reference Book. Read his thoughts on growing trends contributing to sustainable cities worldwide. ...
Governments must create inclusive spaces for dialogue with street vendors and craft policy to support their livelihoods and economic mobility. Photo by Carlos Penalba/Flickr.
Bridging the divide between vendors and local governments for more inclusive cities
As previously discussed on TheCityFix, many cities worldwide are facing a series of challenges around informal economic activity. As they begin to modernize and transform public spaces, street vendors are often left behind or swept away. Yet, these efforts at ...
Mixed-use development combined with pedestrianization on Mexico City's Calle Madero promotes sustainable, prosperous communities. Photo by Julius Reque/Flickr.
People-oriented Cities: Mixed-use development creates social and economic benefits
The “People-oriented Cities” series – exclusive to TheCityFix and Insights – is an exploration of how cities can grow to become more sustainable and livable through transit-oriented development (TOD). The nine-part series will address different urban design techniques and trends ...
Congestion pricing has the potential to pave the way for more equitable mobility in China's cities. Photo by GuoZhongHua/Shutterstock.
Congestion pricing can make Beijing a more equitable city
China’s capital city of Beijing is already home to 5.4 million cars, the most of any Chinese city. The country’s rising wealth means that this is a trend unlikely to stop. This rapid motorization has led to many city government ...
In order to make cities safer and public spaces more inviting for all, EMBARQ India studied how women perceive – and how they are perceived in – India's urban public spaces. Photo by EMBARQ.
What does a sociological approach to safe cities reveal?: Findings from a national workshop in India
While concerns of violence against women are not new, women’s safety in public spaces has received significant attention in India in the past two years. Cities are seeing increased demands around making public spaces safer for women, ranging from better ...
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) define important priorities for international development over the next 15 years, including the need for safe, sustainable, and inclusive cities. Photo by Justin Swan/Flickr.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals emphasize sustainable cities in latest draft
At the 2012 Rio+20 Summit, the United Nations member states began the ambitious process of defining the social and economic priorities for humanity over the next fifteen years. The open and participatory process and the initial negotiations amongst the world’s ...
Bus rapid transit (BRT) is expanding worldwide, particularly in Asia and Latin America. Watch it grow on BRTdata.org. Photo by EMBARQ Brasil.
New BRT data shows cities’ increased commitment to sustainable transport
The BRTData.org global database of bus rapid transit (BRT) data has recently been updated, and the increased number of BRT lines, as well as the length of those lines, reflects the commitment of cities around the world to provide high-capacity ...
Raahgiri Day, a day in which streets are closed to cars and open to pedestrians and cyclists is a time to celebrate community and human-centered mobility that is swiftly expanding throughout India. Photo by EMBARQ.
Scaling up sustainability: ‘Raahgiri Day’ comes to New Delhi
Raahgiri Day, the weekly event that closes city streets to cars to celebrate walking, biking, music-making, and socializing, has expanded beyond Gurgaon, India. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) together with the New Delhi Police Department has decided to stage ...
São Paulo's Rua da Consolação is often congested for hours each day, leading residents and city leaders to wonder if other transport modes such as bikes and mass transport can be used to cut down on traffic while increasing sustainable mobility. Photo by Carlos Barretta/Flickr.
Study: São Paulo commuters lose one month per year sitting in traffic
While the idea of ‘free time’ is by nature associated with individual choice and being momentarily ‘free’ from the demands of everyday life, the amount and quality of this time we have at our disposal is closely linked to city-wide ...
Although Brazil has taken criticism for World Cup infrastructure investments, examples like Belo Horizonte's MOVE bus rapid transit (BRT) system show how a project can serve visitors and also provide lasting impacts for the people of Brazil. Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brazil.
To Maracanã and beyond: World Cup brings sustainable transport benefits to Brazil
World Cup fans may be focused on the games, but critics are paying attention to another aspect of the event—its price tag. Brazil spent billions of dollars on World Cup infrastructure, and many are understandably questioning the long-term benefits these ...
While cities like São Paulo, Brazil, are expanding the technology available to city leaders, good governance remains pivotal to creating a truly 'smart' city. Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brazil.
The difference between data and wisdom: Smart cities have a lot to learn
This article reports on presentations made by Philip Yang, President, URBEM (Urbanism and Urban Studies Institute for the city of Sao Paulo), Jianming Cai, Professor at the Institute of Geographic Sciences & Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Alexandros Washburn Founding Director, Center for ...
The people of Iceland balance their respect for historical heritage and folklore with their need to grow, developing projects that preserve important cultural places. Photo by Jani Murtosuo/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Urban development in Iceland? Check with the elves first
Many planning regulations and multilateral funding bodies demand that developers include a Heritage Impact Assessment as part of their Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before approving infrastructure projects. Good developers go beyond simply completing the impact assessment and think like anthropologists, ...
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