Low-Carbon Cities Are Better for Your Health Than Any Superfood
Low-Carbon Cities Are Better for Your Health Than Any Superfood
Climate change is already harming people’s health. In August last year, over 45 million people in India, Bangladesh and Nepal were affected by unprecedented monsoon flooding, while last year’s Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest on record. The scale of ...
Getting Urban Transformation Right
Getting Urban Transformation Right
Every other Sunday, thousands of people spill onto otherwise auto-clogged city streets across India. For a few hours, the roadways are theirs – to walk, cycle, skate, practice yoga, CrossFit, even Zumba. Open streets days, known locally as Raahgiri Days, ...
4 Andean Cities Adapting to Glacier Retreat to Preserve Water Security
4 Andean Cities Adapting to Glacier Retreat to Preserve Water Security
Glaciers do more than feed our rivers and lakes, they also serve as critical savings banks for water withdrawals when other sources dry up. In South America, the glaciers and snowpack that crown the Andes provide slow, consistent meltwater that ...
From China to Colombia, 5 Cities Making Streets Safer by Design
From China to Colombia, 5 Cities Making Streets Safer by Design
In 2015, the global community committed to halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2020. But city streets are still not safe. More than 3,200 road fatalities occur every day, and this number is expected to increase threefold by 2030, ...
For Thriving Cities, People vs. Nature Is a False Choice
For Thriving Cities, People vs. Nature Is a False Choice
Municipal leaders face hundreds of difficult choices every day. With so many needs and worthy programs, how does one choose where to invest limited funding? In the face of pressing human needs, cities too often decide that funding for environmental ...
Kate Logan on How Data Transparency and Social Media Are Cleaning Up China’s Air: Fighting for Blue Skies
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In 2010, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing began reporting data on local air quality from a monitoring station on its roof. Once the dismal numbers were shared on Twitter, a storm of public outcry was unleashed that would culminate in ...
Raahgiri 2.0: Re-Engineering Car-Free Days for Smaller Cities in India
Raahgiri 2.0: Re-Engineering Car-Free Days for Smaller Cities in India
If you drive out of New Delhi west along National Highway 48, you will find yourself reaching a small district in Haryana state named Jhajjar. Just 50 miles from the national capital, its demographic contrast is unmistakable. The bustle and ...
There’s an Easy Way for National Governments to Help Cities Act on Climate Change – Give Them Data
There’s an Easy Way for National Governments to Help Cities Act on Climate Change – Give Them Data
Thousands of cities have committed to act on climate change, but few have yet turned their goals into tangible results. One of the important items that can help them begin is data from national governments. Establishing an “emissions inventory,” measuring how much greenhouse ...
How Behavioral Science Can Boost Household Energy Efficiency
How Behavioral Science Can Boost Household Energy Efficiency
Persuading people to use energy more efficiently has long been heralded as a simple, effective way to help tackle climate change. The problem lies in the persuasion. Historically, policies and programs to encourage people to save energy have relied largely ...
What if Citizens Set City Budgets? An Experiment That Captivated the World – Participatory Budgeting – Might Be Abandoned in its Birthplace
What if Citizens Set City Budgets? An Experiment That Captivated the World – Participatory Budgeting – Might Be Abandoned in its Birthplace
Neighbors in Porto Alegre, Brazil, have been getting together regularly since 1989 to discuss the future of their city. Everyone is encouraged to speak at district meetings in churches, gyms and clubs, discussing everything from water supply and sewage to ...