Posts tagged with 'urban development'
Rapid urbanization has led to sprawl in cities worldwide, reshaping urban geographies and challenging city governments to plan for growing populations. Photo by Omar Bárcena/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Watch urban growth unfold in these amazing visualizations from cities worldwide
The NYU Stern Urbanization Project has created a number of fascinating time-lapse videos showing urban land use in different cities from the 1800s through to 2000. These videos strikingly depict the well-evidenced trend of urban growth, both in population and ...
Medellín’s Metrocable is the centerpiece of an inclusive urban upgrading strategy that has improved mobility and economic opportunity, while reducing violence in disadvantaged areas. Photo by Gabinete/Flickr.
Medellín Metrocable improves mobility for residents of informal settlements
In 2004, Medellín – the second largest city in Colombia – introduced the Medellín Metrocable system to connect low-income residents to public transport. As the world’s first modern urban aerial cable car transport system, this innovative addition to Medellín’s existing ...
Cinema has the power to influence our perceptions on sustainable transport, and confront us with tough questions about the future of urban transport. Photo by Tama Leaver/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Cinema shows the power of sustainable transport
Movies have the power to shape our perceptions of love, of adventure, and of growing up. More subtly, movies also have the ability to shape our perceptions of small things, like how we interpret different cities, clothing brands, and even transport ...
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 ...
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 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 ...
The Buriganga River in the Bangladeshi city of Dhaka provides transport for the city---yet reminds Dhaka's residents of the need to build resiliency into the city as water levels rise. Photo by William Veerbeek/Flickr.
Pitfalls and potential: Climate change vulnerability in Dhaka, Bangladesh
According to the United Nations, temperatures are likely to warm anywhere from 3 to 6 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, and scientists warn that “the world is ill-equipped to deal with the impacts of warming.” To help the lives impacted by ...
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 ...
Despite increased investment in mass transport, last-mile connectivity and access to transport hubs remain obstacles for cities across India. Photo by Jack Zalium/Flickr.
Going the last mile: Does connectivity influence sustainable transport usage?
Growing numbers of privately owned automobiles, pollution, and congestion have helped governments in cities across India realize the need for better mass transport systems. Cities like Delhi are now making substantial investments to improve existing systems and implement new measures. ...
Brazil’s rising traffic fatalities show the need for traffic calming measures on roadways, and infrastructure that promotes pedestrian safety and well-being. Photo by Gerden van Heijningen/Flickr.
As Europe’s traffic fatalities drop, Brazil’s soar
Traffic safety improvements in Europe are being hailed as one of the greatest advances for the region in the past decade. Europe should be proud of its success: since 2010, there have been 17% fewer deaths on the continent’s roads. ...
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 ...
The construction of the Shanghai Tower is a testament to architectural skill and China's growing economic power, but does this come at the expense of vibrant street life? Photo by Jerry Yang/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Shanghai Tower raises questions on the future of walkability
Shanghai Tower, designed by transnational architecture design tycoon Gensler, will soon become the third tallest building in the world this year. Once complete, it will proudly join Shanghai’s already crowded skyline, which currently consists of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, ...
In the past two decades, Indian cities have grown tremendously—not only in population, but in geographic size. Photo by Peter Vandeput/ Flickr.
Three challenges facing India’s growing cities
Population growth and rapid urbanization are combining to create huge challenges for Indian cities. According to McKinsey, Indian cities are expected to grow from 340 million people in 2008 to a whopping 590 million in 2030. Meeting demand for urban services ...
Mexico's history of urban sprawl holds important lessons for policy and leadership in urban development. Photo by Pablo Lopex Luz/Imgur.
The perfect storm: One country’s history of urban sprawl
As some cities tout the benefits of sustainable transport and transit-oriented development (TOD), it is hard to imagine how others could have moved so far in the opposite direction. Understanding the combination of shifting responsibilities, lax regulations, and flawed policies ...
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 ...
Right Menu Icon