Posts tagged with 'public space'
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 ...
Surrounding transport systems subtly shape the patterns of interaction within public spaces. Photo by Dan Nguyen/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Three cities demonstrate the role of transport in shaping public space
Public spaces function as city halls, entertainment epicenters, informal meeting places, and cultural classrooms for cities. When thinking about what makes a successful public gathering point, things like architecture, historic monuments, and the people within the space come quickly to ...
Pedestrianization projects like that of Istanbul's historic peninsula can reduce traffic crashes and protect pedestrians. Photo by Andres Arjona/Flickr.
Cities that inspire us for United Nations Global Road Safety Week 2015
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the third Global Road Safety Week occurred in April 2014. The third Global Road Safety week is planned for 2015.  Already there are 1.2 million traffic-related deaths per year worldwide. ...
Researchers find strong correlations between access to green space and increased levels of physical health and happiness. Photo by Mark Carter/Flickr.
Urban green space makes people happier than money
As much as cities can be drivers of economic and social progress, sometimes it’s downright stressful to live amid the hustle and bustle of today’s urban centers. To escape this stress, many urban residents take refuge in green public spaces, ...
A crowd gathers overlooking Singapore's Marina Bay. Photo by Nicolas Lannuzel/Flickr.
Urbanism Hall of Fame: Lee Kwan Yew shaped Singapore as the “Garden City”
This is the second 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 ...
Medellín, Colombia has undergone a drastic urban transformation, and will now host the Seventh World Urban Forum. Photo by PehMed2020/Flickr.
A safe city is a just city
As cities in the developing world continue to grow, so do their traffic safety concerns. Latin America, for instance, now sees three times as many deaths from traffic crashes as Europe, the vast majority of which occur in cities. Vulnerable ...
Separate subway cars allow women safe access to transport in Mumbai, India. Photo by ezola/Flickr.
Is separate equal? An opinion on women’s equality in transportation
Disrespect to women in any form is unacceptable, including while using public transport. While the long term solution to this disrespect relies on educating people that this behavior is unacceptable, in the present, transport systems designed to promote positive social interactions ...
Narrow, cobblestone paths do not support the development of a bicycle culture in Kadikoy, Istanbul. Photo by andy carvin/Flickr.
Creating a cycling culture in Kadiköy, Istanbul
Walking along Moda Cadesi in the Kadiköy neighborhood of Istanbul is an exciting experience. The street is connected to stores, a public park, and a pedestrian plaza that allows all ages and demographics to mix together in a dynamic hub ...
A person bikes in Bogota, Columbia, during the city's car-free week. Photo by M.Erwert/Flickr.
Bogotá’s car-free week shows the viability of bicycle transport
Mayor Enrique Peñalosa organized the first car free day for Bogotá, Colombia in 2000 and proposed a ballot poll in which it was approved permanently. Mejor en Bici (Better on bike) was one of the many organizations upholding the mayor’s promise to annually ...
Passengers wait for a bus in Curitiba, Brazil. Photo by mariordo59/Flickr.
Understanding the “t” in bus rapid transit oriented development
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a cost-effective mass transportation system characterized by exclusive bus lanes and reduction of travel times, high-passenger capacity and level boarding, and a relatively short construction process. Latin America and Asia are becoming the world leaders ...
A person looks out the window of a bus in Brazil. Photo by Carolina Pitanga/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Blogging for the cause of sustainable mobility
Citizen engagement with elected officials used to be limited to large public meeting halls where the most vociferous voices were often the only opinions heard. The advent of chat rooms and blogs has given citizens a new tool, but few ...
Bikers in the Forests of Palermo, Buenos Aires. Photo by Claudio Olivares Medina/Flickr.
Show off your skills – and your streets – with the ‘Open Streets’ Video Contest
Each Sunday streets across cities in the Americas are blocked off to all motorized vehicles. In the absence of cars from their normal ecosystems, new patterns of public interaction emerge in these public spaces. Instead of automobiles, people appear: runners, ...
New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square. Photo by Anthony Quintano/Flickr.
A people-friendly Times Square, just in time for New Year’s Eve
1904 was a big year for the city of New York. The first underground subway system in the United States launched in Manhattan, the New York Times opened the second highest skyscraper in the city at One Times Square, and ...
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 ...
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