Search Results for 'public spaces'
Can Washington D.C.'s Great Public Spaces Be Greater?
Can Washington D.C.'s Great Public Spaces Be Greater?
The agencies responsible for the layout, design and security of federal buildings are taking a lead in developing plans and garnering public feedback to redesign Washington, D.C.’s network of public (and often federal) spaces.  David Alpert, editor of the blog ...
"Mumbai on Two Feet": Open Public Spaces for a Healthier City
"Mumbai on Two Feet": Open Public Spaces for a Healthier City
In Mumbai, shrinking space has become a public health concern, with a significant strain on the city’s resources. “Only 6 percent of the total land in the city is made up of open public spaces,” according to Pankaj Joshi of ...
3 Ways to Reimagine Public Transport for People and the Climate
3 Ways to Reimagine Public Transport for People and the Climate
The coronavirus pandemic hit public transport hard. Global ridership tanked initially by as much as 80%, and transit was still at around just 20% of pre-pandemic ridership at the end of 2020. There is serious concern that people will increasingly opt for private vehicles, should public ...
5 Finalists Transforming Urban Spaces: The 2020-2021 Prize for Cities [PODCAST]
5 Finalists Transforming Urban Spaces: The 2020-2021 Prize for Cities [PODCAST]
The WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities is the premier global award celebrating and spotlighting transformative urban change. The five finalists for the $250,000 prize come from very different urban environments — in Kenya, Argentina, Mexico, India and the United ...
What Makes a Child-Friendly City? Redesigning Safer and Healthier Urban Spaces for Young People
What Makes a Child-Friendly City? Redesigning Safer and Healthier Urban Spaces for Young People
Children are often under-prioritized or even disregarded in urban planning and design. It’s estimated that up to 500 children die daily in road crashes around the world; thousands more incur injuries and psychological trauma from collisions with vehicles that can ...
Raahgiri Is a Positive, Public Movement for Change
Raahgiri Is a Positive, Public Movement for Change
A couple of Sundays back, Haryana observed the first state-level Raahgiri in India. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar personally came to the city of Hisar to participate in its official celebration with full state machinery. This was totally unthinkable when ...
Honduras Joins the Global Movement to Make Public Space Work Better for People
Honduras Joins the Global Movement to Make Public Space Work Better for People
Cities around the world are embracing the movement to make their streets work better for people, not just cars. From Bogotá’s Ciclovía, to Guadalajara’s Via RecreActiva, India’s Raahgiri Days, and Ethiopia’s Menged Le Sewe, many cities have adopted some version ...
How Beijing Is Redefining Public Space with the Temple of Heaven
How Beijing Is Redefining Public Space with the Temple of Heaven
If you visit the Temple of Heaven in the heart of Beijing, you’ll discover a vast network of palaces, pavilions, altars, stages and walking paths scattered over 600 acres of parkland. Recognized as a World Heritage Site for its exceptional ...
Need New Ideas to Advance Public Transport? Look to Vienna
Need New Ideas to Advance Public Transport? Look to Vienna
European cities by and large have a sterling reputation when it comes to walkability and public transportation. Recent data compiled by Ralph Buheler, John Pucher and Alan Altshuler in the International Journal of Sustainable Transportation show that between 1989 and ...
Urban Trees: A Smart Investment in Public Health
Urban Trees: A Smart Investment in Public Health
Would you spend $8 per year to see your community reduce rates of obesity, heart disease, anxiety and asthma? Still not convinced? What if that investment also reduced energy costs and increased property values? Urban trees can transform city neighborhoods, ...
Public Space in Cities – What’s the Measuring Stick?
Public Space in Cities – What’s the Measuring Stick?
The famed American landscape architect and Central Park designer Fredrick Law Olmsted said that parks are the “lungs of the city.” However, many cities around the world—from growing Addis Ababa to sprawling Mumbai and dense Sao Paulo—currently lack adequate public ...
How Cities Around the World Use Public Space to Celebrate the Holidays
How Cities Around the World Use Public Space to Celebrate the Holidays
For cities, holidays signal a transformation in atmosphere. Street lights change colors, decorations are hung, and festivals turn sleepy downtowns into largescale celebrations for locals. Just as families and individuals adorn their homes with ornaments and trimmings, cities use their ...
From Ideas to Implementation: How to Improve Capacity for Better Public Leaders
From Ideas to Implementation: How to Improve Capacity for Better Public Leaders
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 TheCityFix, Maria ...
Friday Fun: Three Cities that Are Transforming Public Space with Street Pianos
Friday Fun: Three Cities that Are Transforming Public Space with Street Pianos
When walking in downtown Hangzhou, China, one can safely expect to see a healthy variety of pedestrians, traffic, and commercial high rises.  Dig a little deeper, however, and you may also find locals and tourists belting out Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata ...
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 ...
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