To Fix City Slums, Don’t Just Knock Them Down: Involve Residents in Upgrading Efforts
To Fix City Slums, Don’t Just Knock Them Down: Involve Residents in Upgrading Efforts
Many cities, particularly in the global South, have large areas of informal settlements ‒ poor neighborhoods that grew organically, but which often lack structurally sound buildings and services like running water, sanitation and waste management. The traditional approach to upgrading ...
How California Can Use Electric Vehicles to Keep the Lights On
How California Can Use Electric Vehicles to Keep the Lights On
In 2016, the U.S. Air Force offered a vision of the future for the transportation and energy sectors when the Los Angeles Air Force Base became the first federal facility to replace its entire ground vehicle fleet with plug-in electric vehicles (EVs). ...
Our Poor Understanding of Urban Innovation Is Holding Cities Back
Our Poor Understanding of Urban Innovation Is Holding Cities Back
Innovation in cities has alleviated poverty, reduced wasteful resource consumption and achieved incredible economic outcomes. It’s part of the secret sauce that has led to the primacy of cities in today’s world, with urban areas accounting for 67% of global ...
Responding to Day Zero Equitably: Water Crisis Lessons from Cape Town and Chennai
Responding to Day Zero Equitably: Water Crisis Lessons from Cape Town and Chennai
When Cape Town, South Africa, and Chennai, India nearly ran out of water, these two cities managed to avert Day Zero with solutions that were creative and effective but far from perfect. In Cape Town, there were mile-long queues of people waiting for hours for water. ...
Buildings Are an Ideal But Overlooked Climate Solution
Buildings Are an Ideal But Overlooked Climate Solution
In her speech before the United Nations in September 2019, Greta Thunberg called out the assembled world leaders for their stubborn adherence to the status quo in the face of an escalating climate crisis. “How dare you pretend that this ...
What Chile’s Protests Reveal About the Country’s Transport Inequalities
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At least 17 people have been killed, hundreds more injured, and thousands arrested in what is Chile’s most severe period of civil unrest in years. While President Sebastian Piñera reversed the Santiago Metro fare hikes that initially triggered outcry, protests ...
Tamil Nadu’s Seasonal Swings in Water Stress: A State with Too Much and Too Little
Tamil Nadu’s Seasonal Swings in Water Stress: A State with Too Much and Too Little
Tamil Nadu state in south India suffers from seasonal extremes in water availability. Sometimes there is too much water, and in other seasons not enough. Chennai, the coastal capital of 10 million people, experienced a “Day Zero” crisis this summer, ...
Red Alert: 3 Strategies for Reducing Toxic Ozone Pollution
Red Alert: 3 Strategies for Reducing Toxic Ozone Pollution
High up in the stratosphere, naturally occurring ozone reflects solar radiation back into space, protecting people and the planet from harmful ultraviolet rays. But closer to Earth’s surface, rising ozone levels – formed when pollutants from a wide range of sources react ...
Buildings Are a Hidden Source of Indian Cities’ Extreme Heat
Buildings Are a Hidden Source of Indian Cities’ Extreme Heat
India is ground zero for extreme heat. More than 6,100 people have died from heat events since 2010. Half of the country reeled under severe heat waves this summer, when temperatures reached over 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) in many places. The urban ...
Going Dutch: 3 Key Lessons to Spur Biking in Your City
Going Dutch: 3 Key Lessons to Spur Biking in Your City
For many, the first thought that comes to mind about the Netherlands is crowded bicycle racks and bike-savvy commuters. The country has set the global standard for good practices in bike policy, infrastructure and engagement to make cycling a safe ...