Posts in the 'Urban Development' category
Hagia Sofia, Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Tim Griffin/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Engaging Istanbul’s youth for a more sustainable city
A focus on sustainable development can help Istanbul preserve its rich cultural history. For example, Istanbul’s Historical Peninsula – a UNESCO World Heritage site – contains 295 pedestrianized streets that have helped to increase the vibrancy, safety, and accessibility of ...
With Compact of Mayors, cities lead on tackling climate change at U.N. Summit
With Compact of Mayors, cities lead on tackling climate change at U.N. Summit
Last week, cities around the world made bold commitments to confront climate change. The Compact of Mayors, announced at the UN Climate Summit in New York City, convenes cities to set ambitious targets and report their performance transparently. It builds ...
Do you think gaming is a waste of time? You may be surprised to learn that some games can teach us about urban design and help solve real world problems. Photo by Wolfgang Staudt/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Gaming for more sustainable cities
Three billion hours per week are spent playing online games worldwide. Though the prevalence of online games has drawbacks, what if some of this time spent gaming could improve the way our cities are designed? The prevalence of games in ...
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Building the city of the future through smart, connected urban transport
The concept of smart, connected transport is a hot topic among city leaders looking to ride the wave of innovation to more sustainable, prosperous cities. Despite this, building a truly smart and interconnected urban transport system is more than most ...
Transport accounts for 22% of all energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. By investing in low-carbon transport alternatives, cities can curb emissions while also supporting economic prosperity. Photo by Samuel Yoo/Flickr.
Transport sector climate action key to close the world’s emissions gap
Climate action often focuses on energy and industrial activity, but the transport sector must be included to keep global warming below the dangerous two-degree scenario. Transport is responsible for 22% of energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide, and its emissions ...
Urbanization is a driver of both economic growth and global climate change. Between 2011 and 2030, the urban areas of the world are expected to add 1.4 billion people, including 276 million in China and 218 million in India. Photo by Ken Marshall/Flickr.
How cities can save trillions, curb climate change, and improve public health
No strategy for reducing the impacts of global climate change is complete without addressing the challenge of urbanization. Cities contribute about 70% of energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, despite only accounting for 2% of global land area. Reducing this environmental impact may ...
Incredibly efficient city designs inspired by arcology could scale up mixed-use development and sustainable mobility while minimizing environmental impacts. Norman Foster rendering via Forgemind ArchiMedia/Flickr.
Friday Fun: The futuristic, sustainable cities inspired by arcology
By 2050, the world’s population is estimated to grow to 9.6 billion, with 66% living in cities. How can we accommodate urbanization while avoiding costly urban sprawl that can lead to unequal access to transport and increased greenhouse gas emissions? ...
Rapid urbanization has led to sprawl in cities worldwide, reshaping urban geographies and challenging city governments to plan for growing populations. Photo by Omar Bárcena/Flickr.
Friday Fun: Watch urban growth unfold in these amazing visualizations from cities worldwide
The NYU Stern Urbanization Project has created a number of fascinating time-lapse videos showing urban land use in different cities from the 1800s through to 2000. These videos strikingly depict the well-evidenced trend of urban growth, both in population and ...
New research from EMBARQ can improve planners’ understanding of how to design safer intersections for pedestrians. Photo by Nicolae Duduta/EMBARQ.
Understanding how intersection and signal design impact pedestrian behavior
Pedestrians hit by vehicles when crossing on red are 56% more likely to be severely injured than those crossing on green. While crossing on red is often assumed to be mainly an issue of poor individual pedestrian behavior, recent research ...
Citizens and planners should respect the mobility of handicapped persons by ensuring that infrastructure is accessible to all. Photo by Eneas De Troya/Flickr.
Opinion: Mexico’s disabled population deserves mobility and accessibility
Every morning for the last six months I have observed the same man parking his car in the handicap spot. At first, I flashed him angry and annoyed expressions to try to convince him to park somewhere else; no results. ...
As cities rapidly urbanize, governments worldwide face the challenge of improving living conditions for the most vulnerable urban populations. Photo by Akshay Mahajan/Flickr.
Upgrading informal settlements in an urbanizing world
How can we ensure that all urban inhabitants have the necessary rights and conditions for a dignified and secure existence in the city? As the world rapidly urbanizes, the livelihoods, health, and safety of residents living in informal settlements remain ...
Do you want a say in infrastructure projects in your city? Crowdfunding can allow citizens to turn creative, sustainable projects into reality. Photo by David Berkowitz/Flickr.
Friday Fun: You, too, can build a sustainable city through crowdfunding
Here at TheCityFix, we love exploring the latest, most breathtaking innovations in sustainable urban development. And for good reason! Measures like São Paulo’s citizen hackathons, Medellín’s aerial cable cars, glow-in-the-dark road markings, and Hamburg and Helsinki’s plans for car-free mobility ...
Governments can improve the livelihoods of female street vendors by creating safe public spaces and supporting member-based groups of informal workers. Photo by Jeff DeMaria/Flickr.
Recognizing the role of gender in the informal urban economy
The informal economy is often referred to as the “shadow economy,” a glaring indicator of its absence from the eyes of policymakers. As discussed on TheCityFix, street vendors are frequently ignored in surveys of jobs and economic productivity, despite their ...
Ljubljana recently won the European Green Capital 2016 Award based on its comprehensive approach to sustainable development, which has transformed urban life in the past decade while minimizing the city's environmental impact. Photo by Rhobinn/Flickr.
Sustainable development and integrated planning mark Europe’s new green capital
Ljubljana, Slovenia has won the 2016 European Green Capital Award, given annually by the European Commission to cities that set an example of sustainable urban development best practices. With an ambitious sustainability plan and that has led to significant improvements in the ...
Medellín’s Metrocable is the centerpiece of an inclusive urban upgrading strategy that has improved mobility and economic opportunity, while reducing violence in disadvantaged areas. Photo by Gabinete/Flickr.
Medellín Metrocable improves mobility for residents of informal settlements
In 2004, Medellín – the second largest city in Colombia – introduced the Medellín Metrocable system to connect low-income residents to public transport. As the world’s first modern urban aerial cable car transport system, this innovative addition to Medellín’s existing ...
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