3 Ways Land-Use Planning and Zoning Can Increase Urban Density
3 Ways Land-Use Planning and Zoning Can Increase Urban Density
Where would you feel safer walking alone at 3 A.M: a busy, heavily trafficked street, or a loosely populated section of a sprawling city? Most people would likely choose the former. Indeed, higher population densities can make city streets feel ...
That Dingy Bus Stop Is Hindering India’s Progress – An Economic Case for Safe Public Transport
That Dingy Bus Stop Is Hindering India’s Progress - An Economic Case for Safe Public Transport
Women account for 48.5 percent of the general population of India, but only constitute about 31 percent of the total work force in the country. You may think that this corresponds with what you know about the status of women in ...
Friday Fun: Balancing Urbanization and Elephants in Southern Africa
Friday Fun: Balancing Urbanization and Elephants in Southern Africa
When two elephants fight, grass gets trampled. No kidding. Though this widely-used African proverb alludes to the extensive damage caused when two great mammals clash, what it’s really communicating is that these great animals need space. However, this proverb is ...
Better Building Benchmarking = More Energy Savings
Better Building Benchmarking = More Energy Savings
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently released a real-time building monitoring and scoring platform called LEED Dynamic Plaque, enabling building managers to benchmark, monitor, and improve their building’s performance on an ongoing basis. The program has been recognized as ...
How Two Brazilian Cities Upgraded Their Outdated Bus Fleets for Cleaner Air
How Two Brazilian Cities Upgraded Their Outdated Bus Fleets for Cleaner Air
Nossa Cidade (“Our City”), from TheCityFix Brasil, explores critical questions for building more sustainable cities. Every month features a new theme. Leaning on the expertise of researchers and specialists in WRI’s sustainable urban mobility team in Brazil, the series will feature in ...
From Ideas to Implementation: How to Foster Effective Public Participation
From Ideas to Implementation: How to Foster Effective Public Participation
How do we make cities work for people? As a WRI Helms Fellow on Urban Governance and Sustainable Cities, Maria Antonia Tigre was tasked with answering this question. Through From ideas to implementation: making sustainable cities through governance here on ...
Mayor Mary Jane Ortega on Communicating and Educating in the Philippines
Mayor Mary Jane Ortega on Communicating and Educating in the Philippines
Mary Jane Ortega was formerly the mayor of San Fernando, a coastal city located about 270 km from Manila, in the Philippines.  During her mayorship, Ortega earned several awards for her achievements in city management and – despite leaving the ...
Friday Fun: Adapting New York City for Rising Waters and “the Next Sandy”
Friday Fun: Adapting New York City for Rising Waters and “the Next Sandy”
If global temperatures rise by 2º Celsius, New York City (NYC) could lose up to 1.8 million of its residents. However, unlike other cities who are simply working to mitigate climate change, NYC is working to adapt its cityscape to ...
Turkey's Congestion Problem: Why New Roads Aren't the Answer
Turkey's Congestion Problem: Why New Roads Aren't the Answer
The United States’ urban transport mantra of “wider and more roads” dates back to the 1900s and is slowly being phased out for more compact development. However, in Turkey, the sentiment remains alive and well. To demonstrate this, consider Turkey’s ...
Reforming Transport in Cities: Cleaner Air, Fewer Emissions
Reforming Transport in Cities: Cleaner Air, Fewer Emissions
3.7 million people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this is the number of individuals who die each year due to air pollution. At this rate, simple math dictates that more than 120 million people will die because of outdoor ...