Posts tagged with 'public health'
São Paulo is experiencing a drought so extreme that the city could run out of water, and it is only one of many populous Brazilian cities that face significant risk for drought in future years. Photo by Martha Slivak/Flickr.
Three maps help explain São Paulo, Brazil’s water crisis
The worst drought to grip São Paulo, Brazil and neighboring states in 80 years is wreaking havoc on the local population. As of late October, key reservoirs hold less than two weeks’ worth of drinking water. Schools and health centers are closing early, ...
Employers play an important role in creating the incentives and infrastructure to encourage employees to use sustainable transport. Photo by Dylan Passmore/Flickr.
Seven ways to encourage sustainable commuting in your workplace
Car-oriented cities have a number of costs for citizens’ health and well-being. Up to 75% of urban air pollution is caused by motor vehicle fuel combustion, and in 2012, 3.7 million premature deaths were linked to outdoor air pollution. Numerous studies have ...
Urbanization is a driver of both economic growth and global climate change. Between 2011 and 2030, the urban areas of the world are expected to add 1.4 billion people, including 276 million in China and 218 million in India. Photo by Ken Marshall/Flickr.
How cities can save trillions, curb climate change, and improve public health
No strategy for reducing the impacts of global climate change is complete without addressing the challenge of urbanization. Cities contribute about 70% of energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, despite only accounting for 2% of global land area. Reducing this environmental impact may ...
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 ...
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 ...
Combining environmental education with cycling helps children make sustainable mobility a life long decision. Photo by Nasos Efstathiadis/Flickr.
Educating the next generation for sustainable mobility
Today’s children are inheriting an environmental crisis – a simultaneous combination of depleting resources and increasing pollution. Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE), launched in 2003 by the European Commission, seeks to find sustainability initiatives around the region that can help Europe’s ...
EMBARQ Brazil released today a new manual to help cities like Rio de Janeiro build safe cycling infrastructure and foster cycling culture for sustainable urban mobility. Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brazil.
New manual to catalyze cycling in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas
Cycling is already an important part of daily life many of Brazil’s urban residents. To grow the country’s cycling culture as well as provide better conditions for users, the new “Manual of Projects and Programs for Encouraging Cycling in Communities” ...
Trees bring a multitude of benefits to cities, helping the environment as well as residents' quality of life. Photo by Tristan Higbee/Flickr.
Urban trees boost quality of life for city dwellers around the world
Trees often fade into the background of what people understand as the city, yet they bring immense value – including environmental benefits like filtering water run-off and cleaning the air as well as increasing health and quality of life – ...
Urban design has a large impact on lifestyle, with bike lanes and pedestrian pathways promoting healthy behaviors for city residents across Brazil. Photo by Raul/Flickr.
Creating active cities and healthy citizens through innovative urban design
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, killing as many as 17 million people each year. Sedentary, inactive lifestyles are a major contributor to this rise in cardiovascular disease – stress, pollution, poor diet, and lack ...
Crowded and chaotic streets in Rio de Janeiro underscore why Brazil has such a significant road safety challenge. Photo by Yukun Chen/Flickr.
Maio Amarelo: Raising awareness for road safety in Brazil
Raising awareness and tapping into public sentiment is essential to making inroads against any major threat to public health. October, for example, is breast cancer awareness month and in November we remember all those lost to prostate cancer. Now, the ...
Air quality and smog in China. Photo by Niccoló Mazzati/Flickr.
Air pollution in China forces short-term responses, requires long-term solutions
As severe air pollution grips Beijing, China and the surrounding region, the sharp rise in harmful particulate matter has forced authorities to consider both immediate responses and long-term strategies to combat air pollution. The current situation The height of the ...
Mayors play a pivotal role in creating sustainable, livable cities. Photo by Tommy Vohs /Flickr.
On the move: Advancing sustainable transport – getting from here to there
This is the tenth and final post of the “Sustainable Urban Transport On The Move” blog series, exclusive to TheCityFix. Preparation of this series was possible thanks to a grant by Shell Corporation. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ...
Rainy Ciclovía in Bogotá, Colombia. Photo by Claudio Olivares Medina/Flickr.
Memories of Ciclovía, dreams for Raahgiri Day
Darío Hidalgo is EMBARQ’s Director for Research and Practice, a transport expert, and Colombian native who grew up participating in Ciclovía in Bogotá. Today, Hidalgo shares his memories of Ciclovía and recent experience at Raahgiri Day in Gurgaon, India. Certain moments make me ...
Brazilian children at play. Photo courtesy of Designed To Move Full Report (in Portuguese).
A physical activity agenda for the increasingly urban, inactive global population
The impacts of what has become a widespread physical inactivity epidemic affect everyone in every nation. – Designed To Move If global trends in physical activity continue as they stand today, Brazilians will be 34% less active by 2030 than ...
A family travels by train in Germany. Photo by Edo Medicks/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Awesome infographics show benefits of sustainable transport
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So what about an infographic? Information graphics, or infographics, recently emerged as a highly popular and effective medium for visualizing and sharing information. According to visual.ly, a website that helps users ...
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