Creating a Common Narrative for Financing a Sustainable Urban Future
Creating a Common Narrative for Financing a Sustainable Urban Future
Good ideas that get cities results are worth replicating. Sounds simple enough. But when it comes to scaling up and investing in sustainable urban solutions, it’s complicated. With more than 400 cities making commitments to climate action through the Compact ...
World Water Day: How “Sludge” Can Power China’s Cities While Cutting Emissions
World Water Day: How “Sludge” Can Power China’s Cities While Cutting Emissions
Last December, Beijing’s city government issued a “red alert” for smog levels—the highest possible designation. Schools and construction sites closed, traffic was restricted, and air pollution reached 10 times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit. Meanwhile, residents in neighboring cities ...
On International Day of Forests, a Look at How Trees Help Make Cities Healthier
On International Day of Forests, a Look at How Trees Help Make Cities Healthier
While the words “forests” and “cities” don’t traditionally go hand in hand, urban forestry has started to bridge that gap. While some cities have minimal tree cover due to inadequate soil or a lack of space, others are nearly half ...
Friday Fun: Crowdsourcing Apps Help Planners “Tame” Chaotic Bus Systems
Friday Fun: Crowdsourcing Apps Help Planners “Tame” Chaotic Bus Systems
Cities across the world are harnessing the power of technology to connect directly with citizens about pressing issues, from infrastructure planning to questions about how to spend their budgets. Now, transportation planners are getting in on the game in order ...
DC’s Metro Closure Shows Why Creating Trust in Public Transit Matters
DC’s Metro Closure Shows Why Creating Trust in Public Transit Matters
Washington, D.C., one of the most powerful cities on Earth, has been thrown off-stride by a transit crisis. Starting March 16, the U.S. capital’s Metro system, which serves more than 710,000 passengers daily, closed down for 29 hours for emergency power ...
Three Stories of How the Internet of Everything Is Changing Transport
Three Stories of How the Internet of Everything Is Changing Transport
With the arrival of new and powerful technologies, and the declining costs of these technologies, some new possibilities are emerging for cities and their transport systems. For example, the Internet of Everything (IoE) can benefit cities by connecting people, processes, ...
Improving Street Lighting Can Be an Easy Win for Cities. Here’s Why National Governments Are Critical
Improving Street Lighting Can Be an Easy Win for Cities. Here’s Why National Governments Are Critical
Lighting represents about 15 percent of global power consumption and 5 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Street lighting alone represents about 3 percent of world electricity consumption. Extensive programs that replace obsolete street lighting systems—incandescent, mercury vapor, and ...
Friday Fun: Three Museums That Engage Visitors to Think about the Future of Cities
Friday Fun: Three Museums That Engage Visitors to Think about the Future of Cities
It’s not often that you encounter museums dedicated to urban planning and development. But they do exist, and they are presenting panoramas of urban areas, both historically and spatially. While many museums have traditionally focused on presenting valuable objects and ...
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 ...
4 Priorities for a Conversation around Habitat III
4 Priorities for a Conversation around Habitat III
Habitat III in Quito Ecuador this October will be an opportunity to galvanize local leaders to forge strategies for sustainable, equitable and resilient urban growth. But the stakes are high, and the conversation among policymakers and local leaders is still ...