Urban Development
Public participation platforms change the dynamic between city and citizen
By   March 20, 2014
Residents of Hyderabad, India, can use mobile devices to be a part of the planning dialogue---whether it's creating clearer maps of the city or crowdsourcing infrastructure projects. Photo by Nietnagel/Flickr.
Instead of arguing about how their city did not have enough money to fund the creation of bike paths, a community in Mexico City, Mexico, went ahead and made them. When residents in Beijing, China, saw that cars were encroaching ...
Urban Development
Ekistics offers new perspective on mobility versus access
By   March 19, 2014
Urban planners and city leaders look for a new framework to think about sustainable transport that promotes accessibility over mobility. Photo by Trevor Pritchard/Flickr.
Being able to use a bus to travel ten miles to a super market is not the same as having a grocery store around the corner. Mobility, even sustainable mobility, is not the same as access. In order to create ...
Integrated Transport
Can a multimodal Istanbul reverse the tide of car dependency?
By   March 18, 2014
Istanbul is working towards an integrated transport network to turn the tide against motor vehicle and make mass transport the dominant form of mobility once more. Photo by Andreaffm/Flickr.
Turkey has had good fortune in seeing the personal incomes of its citizens rise from US$ 6,800 in 2000 to US$ 14,700 in 2011. Yet with increasing incomes has come a trend towards personal motorization, with private vehicle ownership jumping from 889,000 to ...
Urban Development
Banking on sustainability: Inter-American Development Bank and the Americas Society/Council of the Americas team up for a new conception of smart cities
By   March 17, 2014
Emerging economies are creating their own conception of "smart cities" that incorporate appropriate technologies, mixed-use development, and sustainable transport. Photo by EMBARQ Brazil/Flickr.
The idea of “smart cities” – defined as those whose social and technological infrastructure accelerates sustainable economic growth – has captured the attention of city leaders and urban dwellers around the globe. It has also caught the attention of international ...
Integrated Transport
Friday Fun: Design your own transport network!
By   March 14, 2014
It can be challenging, but sometimes fun, to learn how to bring sustainable transport to cities. Photo by Michael Newman/Flickr.
Planning an integrated transport network that moves people through cities quickly and efficiently is pivotal for cities to enable sustainable mobility. Few understand just how to difficult this can be, but the new Mini Metro game made by Dinosaur Polo ...
Communications
Urbanism Hall of Fame: Jane Jacobs inspires sustainable, human-centered cities
By and   March 13, 2014
Jane Jacobs' community activism has had a lasting impression on today's cities, from sidewalk murals to sustainable transport system. Photo by ruffin_ready/Flickr.
This is the inaugural entry to our new series on sustainable urban mobility, the Urbanism Hall of Fame, exclusive to TheCityFix. This series is intended to inform people about the leading paradigms surrounding sustainable transport and urban planning and the ...
Integrated Transport
MOVE: Transforming bus transportation in Belo Horizonte
By   March 12, 2014
The launch of Belo Horizonte's MOVE bus rapid transit (BRT) system seeks provides the city safe, high quality mass transport in an effort to slow the advance of the private car. Photo by Luisa Zottis/EMBARQ Brazil.
Belo Horizonte, one of the host cities for Brazil’s 2014 World Cup, is using its newfound spotlight to showcase its growing transport system. The city launched its MOVE bus rapid transit (BRT) system this past Saturday, March 8, 2014, which ...
Integrated Transport
Call for applications: "Building Leaders in Urban Transport Planning" 2014
By   March 11, 2014
EMBARQ Mexico is helping city leaders understand the complexities of creating sustainable mass transport systems through a series of lectures, group exercises, and case studies. Photo by EMBARQ.
The World Bank and EMBARQ Mexico are holding the second edition of the “Building Leaders in Transport Planning” training course for Mexico (#LUTPMx14). The course provides tools for systematic planning of integrated mobility corridor management, alternative public transport planning, evaluating ...
Integrated Transport
High quality mass transport to save our cities
By   March 11, 2014
Europe learned that speed, reliability, and comfort are essential for successful public transport systems, and Brazil is taking note. Photo by EMBARQ Brasil.
For those who live in or visit Brazil’s cities, it is not hard to see the effects of increasing motorization and car usage on our urban centers. Too many cities have become crippled  by bottlenecks and stifling traffic congestion. Increased ...
Energy + Climate Change
Transport Toolkit: Six steps to a low emission transport system
By , and   March 10, 2014
Upcoming Low Emission Transport Toolkit webinar will help planners and city leaders to plan, finance, and implement sustainable transport solutions. Photo by EMBARQ Brazil.
City leaders and planners weigh difficult decisions when choosing the path for their cities. When it comes to transport, they face such challenges as deciding between developing bus rapid transit (BRT) or light rail, and finding the best way to ...