Integrated Transport
What will it take to create smart cities in India?
By   January 15, 2015
With the right priorities and development strategies, India’s smart cities initiative has the potential to make cities more sustainable, inclusive, and safe. Photo by rebel/Flickr.
In June 2014, the Government of India announced its ambitious plan to build smart cities across the country. This plan will be administered by the Ministry of Urban Development, and will focus on building new smart cities and redeveloping existing ...
Energy + Climate Change
Why cities are the solution to climate change: A Q&A with Ani Dasgupta
By   January 14, 2015
Though cities contribute a majority of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, they also provide forums for collaboration among diverse stakeholders to incubate climate change solutions. Photo by Wolfgang Staut/Flickr.
2015 is a year of utmost importance for the global sustainable development agenda, and cities will play a pivotal role. Landmark global decisions over the next 12 months provide opportunities to unlock the potential of cities and improve quality of ...
Integrated Transport
Want healthy, thriving cities? Tackle traffic safety first
By and   January 14, 2015
As vehicle ownership grows in cities worldwide, it becomes increasingly important for cities to implement well-designed bus systems that improve road safety for all users. Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ.
Every year, more than 1.2 million people die in traffic crashes worldwide, equivalent to nearly five Boeing 747 plane crashes every day. As developing economies grow and private car ownership becomes more mainstream, the number of associated crashes and fatalities ...
Integrated Transport
How cities can save lives: Build safer bus systems
By   January 14, 2015
Bus priority systems have a track record of social and environmental benefits for cities. Now, research shows that bus priority systems – when accompanied with key road design features – can save lives in cities. Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ.
Traffic safety has become an urgent issue for cities around the globe, with traffic deaths claiming over 1.2 million lives per year according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Without proper action, this unacceptable trend is expected to make road ...
Integrated Transport
Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro announced co-winners of the 2015 Sustainable Transport Award
By   January 13, 2015
Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo - Co-winners of the 2015 Sustainable Transport Award
The winners of the 2015 Sustainable Transport Award have been announced! Organized by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), the Sustainable Transportation Award (STA) recognizes outstanding vision and innovation in sustainable transport over the past year. Announced today ...
Integrated Transport
The rise of technology-enabled taxis in Indian cities: A Q&A with OLA’s Arvind Singhatiya
By   January 12, 2015
Technology-enabled taxis are helping fill a mobility service vacuum in Indian cities. Photo by Chrisbirds.com/Flickr.
New mobile technologies are helping transform mobility services in cities worldwide, including across India. EMBARQ India interviewed Arvind Singhatiya, Vice President for Corporate Affairs at OLA (formerly OLA Cabs), to better understand how mobile technologies are helping to meet growing ...
Integrated Transport
Friday Fun: Paint can do more to transform your city than you think
By   January 9, 2015
Tirana, Albania painted buildings throughout the city with bright designs to increase residents' sense of belonging and hope for the city's future. Photo by Joonas Lyytinen.
As Mayor of Tirana, Albania, Edi Rama had an unconventional strategy to make his city more livable. Before becoming mayor, Rama was a trained artist and moved to Paris in 1995 to practice his craft. When he was elected mayor ...
Energy + Climate Change
Cities fighting black carbon to achieve public health and climate benefits
By and   January 8, 2015
A type of fine particulate matter, black carbon causes millions of premature deaths in cities worldwide and is considered the second most important human emission contributing to climate change. Photo by Eduardo M.C./Flickr.
Black carbon – a short-lived climate pollutant emitted into the air by incomplete combustion of fuels – is a both major contributor to climate change and a concern for public health in cities. At the global scale, black carbon has ...
Integrated Transport
‘We have to get urbanization right’: A Q&A with Felipe Calderón on cities in the New Climate Economy
By and   January 7, 2015
As cities urbanize worldwide, they must focus on connected, compact, and coordinated development to grow their economies and tackle climate change. Photo by Scutter/Flickr.
2015 is a year of utmost importance for the global sustainable development agenda, and cities will play a pivotal role. Landmark global decisions over the next 12 months provide opportunities to unlock the potential of cities and improve quality of ...
Integrated Transport
Madrid rolling out plan to ban cars in city center
By   January 6, 2015
In another sign of the growing momentum for open streets, Madrid is banning cars from its city center as part of larger plan to advance sustainable urban mobility. Photo by Cassie/Flickr.
As we recently discussed on TheCityFix, momentum is building for open streets in cities worldwide. Across seven Indian cities, tens of thousands of citizens are taking back their streets during weekly car-free days. Similar open streets events now occur in ...