Urban Transformations: The Reinvention of Eskişehir, Turkey from Dump to Destination
Urban Transformations: The Reinvention of Eskişehir, Turkey from Dump to Destination
Eskişehir Urban Development Project is a finalist for the WRI Ross Prize for Cities. Many cities are looking for a new future after the decline of traditional manufacturing industries. From the American Rust Belt to Europe’s industrial heartlands, mayors are ...
4 Ways Local Solar Projects Can Benefit Cities
4 Ways Local Solar Projects Can Benefit Cities
When a city decides to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, headlines follow. But the work has only just begun. Cities have many options for generating and purchasing renewable electricity, each of which comes with distinct benefits and challenges. ...
Dedicating Public Space for Recreation is Good for Cities. The Via RecreActiva Shows Us 3 Reasons Why.
Dedicating Public Space for Recreation is Good for Cities. The Via RecreActiva Shows Us 3 Reasons Why.
Closing more than 60 kilometers of major streets to car traffic sounds like a logistical headache for a city of 4.8 million. But Guadalajara did it anyway ‒ and has done it every Sunday for the last 15 years. In ...
Urban Transformations: In Pune, India, Waste Pickers Go from Trash to Treasure
Urban Transformations: In Pune, India, Waste Pickers Go from Trash to Treasure
 SWaCH is a finalist for the WRI Ross Prize for Cities. Pinky Sonawane spent her childhood gathering garbage on the streets of Pune, India. She’d join her mother in pulling plastic bottles, cans and cardboard from roadside dumpsters, selling ...
Million Cool Roofs Challenge Covers the Global ‘Cooling Crunch’ From Another Angle
Million Cool Roofs Challenge Covers the Global ‘Cooling Crunch’ From Another Angle
Cities in the global south today face a complex challenge: like all cities, they need to reduce carbon emissions, but they also need to expand access to energy. Around the world, 1.1 billion people currently lack access to electric cooling ...
Urban Transformations: In Medellín, Metrocable Connects People in More Ways Than One
Urban Transformations: In Medellín, Metrocable Connects People in More Ways Than One
 Metrocable is a finalist for the WRI Ross Prize for Cities. Medellín, Colombia, used to be the murder capital of the world. With the explosion of the global drug trade in the 1980s, crime burgeoned, plunging the city into ...
PODCAST: The Political Economy of Air Quality with Jessica Seddon
PODCAST: The Political Economy of Air Quality with Jessica Seddon
Did you know that air quality is a major contributor to global warming? Or that poor air quality can reduce sunlight, disrupting rainfall patterns, depressing crop yields and diminishing solar energy output? Did you know air pollution is the biggest ...
Bike Sharing Is Now a Viable Commuting Choice in São Paulo and Porto Alegre
Bike Sharing Is Now a Viable Commuting Choice in São Paulo and Porto Alegre
New mobility is changing the way we move around cities. It’s also shifting our perception of how we do so. While bicycles may seem more aligned with “old” rather than “new” mobility, bike-sharing systems are transforming the way we see ...
Social Design Offers a More Collaborative Vision of Urban Development
Social Design Offers a More Collaborative Vision of Urban Development
When we think of design in cities, it’s typically physical environments and infrastructure that come to mind: glass, steel and stone, skylines and main streets, museums, traffic jams, playgrounds and construction sites. But the designs that determine the health and ...
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 ...