Posts in the 'Urban Development' category
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, ...
The people in Bogota's informal sector and the city government have clashing visions of how informal commerce should play out on public transport and in public spaces. Photo by Nathan Gibbs/Flickr.
Public transport and the informal sector: Competing visions of Bogotá’s future
There is an entire ecosystem of informal commerce along Bogotá, Colombia’s streets. Some vendors sit at traffic signals or bus stops, waiting for a bus that’s not too full and not too empty. When they spot a good candidate, they ...
Mexico City has created urban streetscapes around its Metrobús bus rapid transit (BRT) system that support safe bicycling and walking, connecting urban residents to mass transport. Photo by Alejandro Luna/Flickr.
People-oriented Cities: Designing walkable, bikeable neighborhoods
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 ...
Work schedules outside of the traditional 9 am to 5 pm allow greater flexibility in personal mobility, and in turn decreases congestion in developing cities. Photo by Roger Schultz/Flickr.
The end of rush hour: Technology gives way to new commuting and mobility patterns
For decades, ‘work’ meant spending an eight-hour chunk of your day in an office, industrial facility, or at school. Workers needed to physically occupy a given location in order to do their jobs. Because of this, the trips to and ...
Copenhagen, Denmark, is welcoming for both pedestrians and bikers because of the people-centered urban design principles that Jan Gehl spearheaded. Photo by Justin Swan/Flickr.
Urbanism Hall of Fame: Jan Gehl integrates humanity into urban design
This is the fourth entry in the Urbanism Hall of Fame series, exclusive to TheCityFix. This series is intended to inform people about the leading paradigms surrounding sustainable transport and urban planning and the thinkers behind them. By presenting their many ...
The pedestrianization project in the Historic Peninsula of Istanbul, Turkey, has created vibrant thoroughfares that has allowed the city to compromise between preserving culture and meeting the mobility needs of its growing populace. Photo by Gulsen Oczan/Flickr.
Peninsulas and public spaces: The pedestrianization of Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey, has stood at the center of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire. It has acted as a central hub of political history and artistic creation for some 20 centuries, with remnants of the ...
Quality, user-friendly public transport systems provide a viable alternative to the private car and help build livable, accessible cities. Photo by Alejandro Luna/EMBARQ Mexico.
People-oriented Cities: Three keys to quality public transport
Quality, user-friendly public transport systems provide a viable alternative to the private car and help build livable, accessible cities. Photo by Alejandro Luna/EMBARQ Mexico. The “People-oriented Cities” series – exclusive to TheCityFix and Insights – is an exploration of how ...
Japan's shotengais - partly enclosed markets - succeed both because of their proximity to transport and the unique, tightly knit communities they foster. Photo by Michael Vito/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Japan’s shotengais show connectivity and community are key to commercial success
Even as malls are declining as social spaces in the United States, shotengais (商店街) – pedestrianized business districts covered with translucent roofs – remain a part of everyday life in Japanese cities. Shotengais are generally located near transport hubs and ...
Lima's human-scale architecture and pedestrian-friendly roads make it a world leader in sustainable development. Recognizing this, we have chosen them to be the host of the Google Hangout session “Urban Development and Sustainable Transport in Latin America: Lessons Learned.” Photo by Mckay Savage/Flickr.
Join this Google Hangout on sustainable cities for World Environment Day
We all have ideas for how to make our cities better places to live. Whether it’s more tree-lined streets, better infrastructure for cycling and walking, or safe access to public transport for all city dwellers regardless of gender, it’s not ...
Transit-oriented development strategies can help urban areas develop sustainably, uniting land use, transport planning, and urban design to create more people-oriented cities. Pictured: Small businesses and pedestrians at a hub near Mexico City's Metrobús bus rapid transit (BRT) system. Photo by Justin Swan/Flickr.
People-oriented Cities: Demystifying transit-oriented development
The “People-oriented Cities” series – exclusive to TheCityFix and WRI 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 ...
Jaime Lerner's vision for Curitiba, Brazil, included creating a connected, sustainable city that would be accessible to all. Photo by EMBARQ/Flickr.
Urbanism Hall of Fame: Jaime Lerner – The architect of Curitiba
This is the third entry in the Urbanism Hall of Fame series, exclusive to TheCityFix. This series is intended to inform people about the leading paradigms surrounding sustainable transport and urban planning and the thinkers behind them. By presenting their ...
Taxi bus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo by Overseas Development Institute/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Community building through skateboarding in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa. In fact, it’s population has almost tripled since 1970. In its rapid race towards development, little space was left for parks, little consideration was ...
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