May2016

Seattle’s struggle to attract riders reveals what makes a bike-share program thrive -- or in the Emerald City’s case, barely survive.
Bike shares have thrived in cities across the country. But Seattle’s Pronto program hasn’t worked as hoped. Now the city has decided to take over the financially beleaguered bike share—the council voted this spring to buy it for $1.4 million—and Seattle is faced with some tough questions.
The biggest will be how to boost Pronto’s anemic ridership. Pronto predicted it could attract 4,000 paid members in its first year. It turns out that membership actually slipped to below 2,000. That means that Pronto’s 500 bikes, distributed among 54 stations, are not used much—just 0.78 times a day, on average. The usage rates for bike-share systems in Boston, Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C., by comparison, are higher than three times a day. Denver, Minneapolis and San Francisco also have higher usage rates than Seattle.

http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-seattle-bike-share.html

The European City Economic and Financial Governance (CEFG) Group

The European “City Economic and Financial Governance Group (CEFG Group)” was initiated in June 2014 by the City Council of Barcelona (ES) together with the cities of Dublin (IE), Hamburg (DE), the City of London (UK), Milan (IT) and Vienna (A), representing approximately 30 million inhabitants in their metropolitan areas. This high-level partnership of CEOs/CFOs and Directors of Finance in the field of economic and financial governance is managed by the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA). It is a timely initiative, supported and recognised by the European Commission – Eurostat – as it coincides with their efforts to formulate the ESA and EPSAS and to implement them across the EU. The uniqueness of the partnership consists in the fact that it is the first time that fiscal and financial management issues are discussed from a cross-border perspective at city level.
After the success of the initial period and results obtained, a decision was taken to enlarge the CEFG Group to eight official city members: the cities of Amsterdam (NL), Barcelona (ES), Bordeaux (FR), Dublin (IE), Hamburg (DE), the City of London (UK), Milan (IT) and Vilnius (LT).
For more information, read the Standardised Financial Reports and Financial Health KPIs for City Governments in Europe, the unique and main output of the first phase of the CEFG Group and consult the CEFG Group flyer. Specific questions can be addressed to info@cefg.eu.

http://www.cefg.eu/files/Flyer_CEFG_May2016.pdf

Kansas Tram become hub for smart city initiative

Sprint has announced in a press release that in collaboration with Cisco, it is revolutionizing the way Kansas City inhabitants stay connected with the launch of its intelligent Sprint Wi-Fi network, which serves as the backbone of Kansas City’s Smart City framework. Residents and visitors will be able to enjoy free Sprint Wi-Fi outdoors along the 2.2-mile KC Streetcar line through downtown.

http://www.fotcp.com/fot/kansas-tram-becomes-hub-smart-city-initiative/

Millennials Will Live in Cities Unlike Anything We've Ever Seen Before

It’s actually hard to know what to believe about millennials, the Americans born after 1980 who make up the largest generation in history. Every week there’s a new ground-shattering revelation about their lifestyles—but the most conflicting reports have to do with where they live.
Over the last few years, across the country—around the world, too—people of all ages, including millennials, have been moving into cities at an astonishing rate. Now more than half of the world’s population is urban. So here’s the big question: Are today’s 20- and 30-somethings really going to live more urban lifestyles than Gen Xers or Boomers? Or are they going to eventually vacate cities for the ‘burbs, just like every generation before them?

http://gizmodo.com/millennials-will-live-in-cities-unlike-anything-weve-se-1716074100

European local governments call for a Common Asylum Policy

https://www.uclg.org/en/media/news/european-local-governments-call-common-asylum-policy

Sadiq Khan Pledges to Clean Up London’s Toxic Air

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced on Friday (May 13) that he will launch a formal policy consultation in a matter of weeks on a major package of measures to tackle air pollution in London.
The new Mayor made the announcement during a visit to Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School, in Aldgate, which has delivered a number of green initiatives including a green roof garden, as the school is close to busy roads and in an area known for high pollution levels.

http://www.citiesofthefuture.eu/sadiq-khan-pledges-clean-londons-toxic-air/

The Basque Declaration is now open for endorsement

Whether you represent a city or an organisation, or you are a citizen concerned about sustainable development and the future of our urban areas, you can now endorse the Basque Declaration, which outlines new pathways to create productive, sustainable and resilient cities and towns for a liveable and inclusive Europe.
The Basque Declaration, acclaimed by the participants of the 8th European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns held in the Basque Country from 27-29 April 2016, is an important step following the Aalborg Charter (1994) and the Aalborg Commitments (2004).

http://conferences.sustainablecities.eu/basquecountry2016/declaration/

Mayors invited to join the new Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy

Following up on the historic international agreement on climate change reached last December in Paris, EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete addresses mayors in a letter that emphasizes cities’ crucial role in successfully implementing the energy transition.
In the letter sent on Thursday 28 April, Commissioner Arias Cañete thanks the cities that have already been taking climate and energy actions through the Covenant of Mayors and Mayors Adapt, two major initiatives now merged under the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.

http://www.ccre.org/en/actualites/view/3267

Global report on urban health: equitable, healthier cities for sustainable development

We are at an unprecedented moment in human development as the greatest migration in history unfolds around us. Less than a decade ago a majority of humankind still lived in the countryside, yet today a clear majority live in urban areas. By the deadline of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030, 60% of all people will reside in cities, proportionally twice that of 1950. For most of us from now on, life and death will be an urban affair.

http://www.urbanafrica.net/resources/15165/

Disrupting Development with Digital Technologies

Disrupting Development with Digital Technologies is the Brookings Blum Roundtable 2015 post-conference report which focuses on the ways in which new digital technologies might change global development process. One of the main questions posed throughout the Brookings Blum Roundtable was the policy challenges and risks that will probably emerge by the imposition of the new digital economy environment.

http://www.urenio.org/2016/04/21/disrupting-development-digital-technologies/

Citizen powered cities: coping with conflicts

A revolution is on its way : all over Europe, the energy market is being shaken up by individual citizens, associations and entrepreneurs who wish to have be more than simple consumer. This emerging ‘community energy’ asking for more power is making the few big energy companies nervous : their once monopolistic status is in danger.

http://www.energy-cities.eu/Citizen-powered-cities-coping-with

Humanitarian actors and local authorities discuss disaster response in Geneva

On 2 May 2016 the city of Geneva hosted the first meeting of the Task Force on Local and Regional Government Disaster Response along with several partners including UN agencies and NGOs operating in the area of humanitarian crisis and resilience. The Taskforce has been brought together by the UCLG Working Group on Development Cooperation and City Diplomacy.
The meeting had three objectives:
Presentation of the activities of the taskforce including the study of eight cities in crisis
Reflection on collaboration between humanitarian actors and local authorities
Preparation for the World Humanitarian Summit and the Global Alliance for Urban Crises

http://www.uclg.org/en/media/news/humanitarian-actors-and-local-authorities-discuss-disaster-response-geneva

Meet the Nation's First 'Vitality Fellow,' Making Cities Livable for Everyone

St. Paul, Minn., wants its urban areas to welcome everyone -- whether they're 8 or 80 years old.
Last year, the city of St. Paul, Minn., won a $175,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to hire a so-called 8-80 Vitality Fellow, a first-of-its-kind position in local government. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman got the idea for the fellowship from urbanist Gil Penalosa, a former parks commissioner in Bogota, Colombia, who argues that cities should be safe and welcoming to citizens of all backgrounds and ages (from 8 to 80 years old).

http://www.governing.com/topics/urban/gov-vitality-fellow-st-paul.html

A ‘Marshall Plan’ to modernize nine cities in Nigeria

The heavily urbanized state of Osun in southwestern Nigeria is replete with metropolitan areas struggling with slums and violence. Olafimihan Kolawale reports for Today, a Nigerian news site, that the state government has teamed with UN-HABITAT to modernize nine of Osun’s cities.
The “Marshall Plan” for this corner of Nigeria would promote urban development over a 20-year period. Goals include improving infrastructure and services and minimizing the emergence of informal settlements. The plan also would tackle waste disposal, urban sprawl and city management.

http://citiscope.org//citisignals/2016/marshall-plan-modernize-nine-cities-nigeria

Cities Aren’t Designed For Women. Here’s Why They Should Be.

At first glance, a gathering of 60 or so women in Detroit earlier this month looked like a typical networking event — a few speeches, lots of mingling, plenty of wine. But instead of making contacts to boost their careers, the women discussed how to use their collective power to improve the city.
“The grassroots, networking aspect of what is going on right now in the city is just extremely powerful,” Wendy Lewis Jackson, interim co-managing director for the Kresge Foundation’s Detroit Program, told The Huffington Post. She was also a speaker at the Sister City event, which the Detroit Women’s Leadership Network held at the Urban Consulate, a new space that hosts conversations about city life.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cities-designed-for-women_us_571a0cdfe4b0d0042da8d264?

Dutch public transport to switch to zero-emissions vehicles

The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment has pledged to ensure that all new buses in the Netherlands will be zero emissions vehicles from 2025.
An agreement has been signed with representatives of all of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands. Several provinces, such as North Brabant and Limburg, already have bus companies that are using electric vehicles.

http://erticonetwork.com/dutch-public-transport-to-switch-to-zero-emissions-vehicles/

Neuchâtel promotes “integration secularism”

Neuchâtel is preparing to adopt a law which will enable the official recognition of new religious communities, in addition to the three recognised churches – the Reformed Evangelical Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Christian Catholic Church. The law is supposed to enter into force on 1 January 2018. While the recognition procedure may be lengthy, the advantages are real such as the possibility to carry out religious instruction on school premises outside school hours, religious services in prisons and hospitals and the right to be consulted by the authorities and to participate in public debates on faith issues.

http://www.coe.int/en/web/interculturalcities/-/neuchatel-promotes-integration-secularism-

Remunicipalising energy services: why and how?

Over the last 15 years, 235 cities in 37 countries have brought water services back under public control benefiting 100 million people.
Paris, Naples, Berlin, Budapest… the list of European cities running their own water system is getting longer and longer. This may be a model for other services: how about energy, an equally precious natural resource and essential service? Who owns it and who benefits from it most? The movement towards public ownership of urban services is a growing political trend, which reflects the desire to strengthen energy democracy and the resilience of a territory.

http://www.energy-cities.eu/Bornova2016-Remunicipalising

How Hyperconnected Cities Are Taking Over the World

In the medieval period, empires battled and colluded with each other in the quest for land. The resulting system, in which nations became the main actors on the global stage, is perhaps the one most of us know best. But it’s changing.
We’re now moving toward a new era where insular, political boundaries are no longer as relevant. More and more people are identifying as “global citizens,” and that’s because we’re all more connected than we’ve ever been before. As a result, a “systems change” is taking place in the world today in which cities—not nations—are the key global players, argues Parag Khanna in his new book, Connectography: Mapping the Future of the Global Civilization. In it, Khanna, who is a global strategist and world traveler, writes:

http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/04/cities-drive-the-new-world-order-parag-khanna-connectography-maps/480165/

Will Habitat III defend the human right to the city?

Luar Batang, one of Jakarta’s oldest waterfront squatter areas, is being flattened. Residents and their homes will be removed to free up flood-prone land and access to the city for tourists. Thousands of people will be evicted, disrupting if not destroying livelihoods, jobs, homes and long-established social networks.
Like the illegal settlements in Kalijodo district, Luar Batang has received global attention for the heavy-handiness of the state-led intervention. Yet the decision to demolish a community built on a unique combination of circumstance, place and people is unlikely to be reversed.
The Luar Batang story is not exclusive to Jakarta. In many cities in the Asia-Pacific and developing countries, informal or unplanned settlements continue to grow and are seen as a blight on city development.

https://theconversation.com/will-habitat-iii-defend-the-human-right-to-the-city-57576

Bringing Autonomous Transport to Cities

Tesla CEO Elon Musk would like to bring Autopilot over to transit vehicles to reduce traffic in congested urban environments.
Musk says he is working on a self-driving vehicle that could replace buses and other public transport vehicles – but he is keeping it a secret for now.
“We have an idea for something which is not exactly a bus but would solve the density problem for inner city situations,” Musk said at a transport conference in Norway last week. “Autonomous vehicles are key,” he said.

http://thinkingcities.com/elon-musk-talks-about-bringing-autonomous-transport-to-cities/

A Hundred percent greener outlook for cities in Turkey

Endowed with renewable resources, such as wind, sun, geothermal and hydro, the country is still relying on coal and other fossil fuels to produce its energy. Forward-looking public policies could make the difference and lead to sustainable and less polluted urban areas in the coming decades
Turkey’s energy production for urban areas could be 100% based on renewables within 30 years if appropriate public policy is implemented.
This is the opinion of Baha Kuban, a senior consultant at Demir Enerji in Istanbul, an engineering firm specialising in energy efficiency solutions and management. Baha has been actively involved in policy issues on renewable energy, particularly solar electricity, and is the founding member of Turkey’s National Photovoltaic Platform.

http://www.cityfied.eu/News/ArticlesInterviews/A-Hundred-Percent-Greener-Outlook-For-Cities-In-Turkey.kl

Triple Win: Tapping Refugee Talent

In partnership with the city, an engineering multinational pilots a training program for asylum seekers as part of a campaign to counter misconceptions about refugees.
German engineering firm Siemens introduced an eight-week internship program in early 2015. The interns are highly-skilled, multilingual, experienced, and refugees. They’re not always considered highly skilled, but that’s what many refugees are: Former engineers, nurses, or teachers forced to leave their homes.

http://citiesofmigration.ca/good_idea/tapping-refugee-talent/

Energy Union Governance: The 3 musts for a new collaborative planning regime

The leading European local and regional organisations consider the European Union’s Energy Union governance as a key debate. The planning processes need to reflect the opportunities arising with the changes that the European energy system is currently undergoing. These changes require a variety of new actors to be included into the planning processes, and thus both in the development and implementation of the national energy and climate plans. This does not only include increased cooperation among different government levels, but also improved collaboration with a large range of other actors.

http://www.ccre.org/en/actualites/view/3266

Time to look at urban design

About 70% of Malaysia’s population today resides in urban areas, indicating the country is facing rapid urbanisation resulting from rural to urban migration.
Our cities and towns are going to be the frontiers for building a new Malaysia.
This is where our local authorities have to play a pivotal and crucial role to deal with the many challenges and problems faced in the urbanised environment.
One of the many challenges that needs to be addressed is the social impact of urban design.
What is urban design and what are its objectives?

http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/views/2016/05/02/time-to-look-at-urban-design/

Five new ELENA-EIB beneficiaries invest in climate actions

The ELENA-EIB is a financing scheme that can provide EU towns and regions with the necessary technical expertise and organisational capacity to implement large energy efficiency and renewables projects.
ELENA covers up to 90% of the technical support cost needed to prepare, implement and finance the investment programme. This could include feasibility and market studies, programme structuring, energy audits and tendering procedure preparation.

http://www.eumayors.eu/news_en.html?id_news=735

How radical ideas turned Curitiba into Brazil's 'green capital'

As an architect and mayor, Jaime Lerner led the movement that transformed Curitiba into an environmentally friendly ‘laboratory for urban planning’. The secret? ‘We had to work fast to avoid our own bureaucracy’

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/may/06/story-of-cities-37-mayor-jaime-lerner-curitiba-brazil-green-capital-global-icon

Bicycle Infrastructure Fail(s)

Who, in their right mind, would ACTUALLY choose to put cyclists in the middle of a street with speeding cars on either side? Certainly not anyone with an understanding of the bicycle’s role in urban life as transport or a sincere desire to encourage cycling and keep people safe. Find the person who is responsible and fire them.

http://www.citiesofthefuture.eu/bicycle-infrastructure-fails/

An innovative platform to achieve the 2020 climate and energy targets

Energy Cities member Klimaatverbond recently informed them that the Dutch Agreement on Energy for Sustainable Growth concluded between 47 organisations in 2013 is finally available in English. Combining an innovative governance platform with a systemic approach to energy and climate policy, this type of agreement sets the example when it comes to achieving climate and energy targets.

http://www.energy-cities.eu/An-innovative-platform-to-achieve

Embracing Active Travel for Health, SWITCH Final Conference

The European Commission co-funded SWITCH project held its final event in Bremen, Germany, on April 14. Entitled "Embracing Active Travel for Health", it showcased how cities, mobility campaigners and health practitioners can design and implement a campaign to trigger travel behaviour change at life changing moments using health messages to motivate change. The event offered a unique opportunity to learn from five SWITCH cities' best practices.

http://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1106/45/Embracing-Active-Travel-for-Health-SWITCH-Final-Conference

2016 SUMP conference review

On 12-13 April 2016 over 400 participants from the fields of transport planning and development, research and politics gathered in Bremen for the 3rd Conference on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans to discuss new planning approaches and strategies, and to share ideas, solutions and success stories.
Discover more about the conclusions from the conference, and view the presentations and photos from an unforgettable 2 days in Bremen.

http://www.eltis.org/discover/news/3rd-european-conference-sustainable-urban-mobility-plans

How booming cities made urban planning Canada’s hottest job

Urban growth—not to mention truckloads of infrastructure spending coming down the road—spell opportunity for urban planners
In August 2014, construction crews in Waterloo, Ont., began building the so-called Ion light rail transit line, an $818-million megaproject that will connect a disparate region known for its tech sector, insurance companies and Mennonite farms. When finished, the piece of infrastructure will reshape the city in a way that hasn’t happened since a little local firm called Research in Motion unveiled the BlackBerry.
As its engineers supervised the physical work of laying the line, the region also hired a five-person planning team from Toronto consultancy Urban Strategies to begin the process of reimagining the main street along which the LRT will operate.

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/lists-and-rankings/best-jobs/2016-urban-planner-canadas-hottest-job/

Can water help our cities cope with rapid urbanisation and climate change?

Water scarcity is one of the most persavise challenges facing communities around the world, and is a driving force behind innovation in the science, technology, policy and practice of water management. The IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2016 is a unique opportunity for water professionals to shape the direction of our common water future, and get an in-depth understanding of current trends, latest research, guiding strategies and leading practice.
As the demands on water professionals to provide innovative solutions continue to grow, those with a professional interest in water need to stay current by updating and enhancing their skills, knowledge and know-how. The IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, through thought leading keynotes, leadership forums, workshops, technical sessions and posters, is a gateway to professional development and learning.

http://www.iwa-network.org/event/world-water-congress-exhibition-2016/register/

Of tigers and elephants: The rise of cities in Asia

Over the next decade and a half the world will add a staggering 1.1 billion people to its towns and cities. About one half of this urbanization will happen in the regions of East and South Asia.
If history is any guide, this growth in urban population will provide tremendous opportunities for increasing prosperity and livability. One can look at the successes of a few Asian cities such as Tokyo, Seoul, and Singapore to demonstrate how, with the assistance of good policies, urbanization and economic development go hand-in-hand. More generally, no major country has ever reached middle-income status without also experiencing substantial urbanization.

http://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/tigers-and-elephants-rise-cities-asia

City Reps Talk 6 Big Barriers to Taking Climate Action

When 175 countries signed the Paris Climate Agreement at a ceremony last month, they affirmed their commitment to work toward emissions reduction and other pro-environmental targets. What about cities and their officials, who played such an unprecedented role at COP21 last year and have proven far nimbler in responding to climate change’s threats, but lack the authority of nations? Two new analyses, released Thursday by C40 and the Compact of Mayors, examine the barriers cities face to taking climate action, with a particular look at how much power cities wield over their building sector. With nearly three-quarters of urban greenhouse gas emissions generated by buildings, the potential for reductions within this sector is high, but cities are often limited in their ability to mandate strong standards because of insufficient authority or lack of financial capacity, political will, data, information or public support.

https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/barriers-cities-climate-action

Google's parent company eyes futuristic city as urban testbed

Alissa Walker reports for Gizmodo that the Silicon Valley icon is exploring the creation of an urban-scale laboratory. The testbed for technologies such as driverless cars and Wi-Fi kiosks either would be built from scratch or involve retrofitting an existing urban neighborhoods.
According to Gizmodo, the Google spinoff Sidewalk Labs, a pioneer of cutting-edge innovations for cities, is spearheading the initiative, code named “Project Sidewalk.” Another site, The Information, reports that a detailed plan for a “digital district” will soon be presented to Larry Page, CEO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. The design calls for an urban environment large enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people. It’s not yet clear, however, whether anyone would live there, Gizmodo notes.

http://citiscope.org/citisignals/2016/googles-parent-company-eyes-futuristic-city-urban-testbed

Global Learning Forum 2017 Announced

On the one year anniversary of the launch of our program, we are very proud to make this public announcement:
We will again be gathering city, private sector, civil society leaders, and other leaders together to advance the movement for 100% renewable energy in cities.
When: May 17-19, 2017
Where: Vancouver, British Columbia
Who: 400 leaders / 70 cities
You're invited to join us at this solutions-focused and participatory event, which builds on our first Forum and recent urban leadership towards renewables and energy efficiency.

http://www.renewablecities.ca/dialogues-projects/global-learning-forum-2017

Why Cities Are So Well-Suited to Renewable-Energy Growth

Last week, 175 countries signed onto a global agreement to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the face of the threat of climate change. Many of those same countries—particularly India, China, and Nigeria—are simultaneously experiencing major urbanization trends that will move billions of people into cities over the next several decades. In fact, according to the United Nations, approximately 2.5 billion people will likely join the world’s urban population by 2050, almost entirely in Asia and Africa. By that time, two-thirds of the world’s population is projected to be living in urban areas, according to the United Nations.
In the past, we’ve always seen urbanization and increased energy use go hand in hand, as rural workers move to cities and gain a more middle-class, consumer-oriented lifestyle. But the challenge of global warming means that today’s urbanization has to follow a different path, one that’s actually sustainable for both individuals and the climate.

http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2016/04/29/why-cities-are-so-well-suited-to-renewable-energy-growth/#:bw2MAIdduR6oPA

How much progress have towns and cities made towards the climate change mitigation target?

The European Commission has published a report: “Covenant of Mayors: Monitoring Indicators”, which provides an assessment of the progress made by signatories of the Covenant of Mayors towards their climate mitigation target.
This report is available online.

http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC97924/jrc97924%20_%20com%20monitoring%20indicators_online.pdf

Kids build city to learn about urban planning at Denver Box City event

When the three-sibling team placed their homeless shelter in the center of the city grid laid on the floor, Genevieve walked around examining the location.
The 7-year-old noticed the nearby train tracks and was glad the imaginary people coming off the train would have just a short walk to the cardboard homeless shelter she built with her brothers.
"We've seen in our neighborhood over time people being moved and the effects of gentrification," said their mom, Nicole Servino. "They see there's really nowhere for some people to go."
Servino wanted her three kids to participate in this year's Box City event held Saturday where volunteers — mostly from urban planning professions — helped children learn about how a city is created.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29805322/volunteers-help-kids-build-city-learn-about-urban

Another Reason to Love Urban Green Space: It Fights Crime

A new body of evidence suggests that adding greenery in vacant or gray settings reduces criminal activity nearby.
There are plenty of reasons to like green spaces in cities: they’re pretty, they catch stormwater runoff, they improve health. And now a new body of evidence is coming into focus on how urban nature affects crime. It appears that the way we take care of our trees, shrubs, and lawns makes a difference for the safety of the surrounding area.
The field of research is still pretty young, but recent studies have found significant associations between green space maintenance and certain types of crime in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Youngstown, Ohio. The exact mechanism is not yet known, but one theory harkens back to Jane Jacobs’ notion of “eyes on the street”: well-kept lawns and community plots encourage more people to spend time outside in those spaces, leading to a greater degree of informal surveillance of the area and deterring crime.

http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2016/04/vacant-lots-green-space-crime-research-statistics/476040/

Why green infrastructure should be a priority

With rapid global population growth and increasing urban and suburban density, green spaces are sometimes seen as a luxury. However, high-performing green spaces, or green infrastructure, provides real economic, ecological, and social benefits. Integrating green infrastructure into the built environment must be a priority.
Green infrastructure can be considered a conceptual framework for understanding the “valuable services nature provides the human environment.” At the regional or national levels, interconnected networks of park systems and wildlife corridors preserve ecological function, manage water, provide wildlife habitat, and create a balance between built and natural environments.

http://thegreencity.com/why-green-infrastructure-should-be-a-priority/

The United Arab Emirates Needs More Rain, So It's Building a Mountain

With just a few inches of rainfall a year, the country is taking matters into its own hands.
The United Arab Emirates wants to make it rain—literally—and it has an ambitious plan to do that: build a mountain.
Among other approaches that the UAE is considering to increase rainfall, the country has given $400,000 to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), a U.S.-based research institute sponsored by the National Science Foundation, to study how building a man-made mountain could affect the weather. According to the Dubai-based business news site Arabian Business, the researchers are currently in the “detailed modeling study” phase of the project.

http://www.citylab.com/weather/2016/05/the-united-arab-emirates-needs-more-rain-so-its-building-a-mountain/481440/

In Defense of the Urban Freeway

There's a push to tear them down. But they're one of the biggest things driving the urban renaissance.
I live in Midtown Houston just off the end of the “527 Spur,” a freeway stub that feeds traffic in and out of downtown. My neighborhood, once known as Little Saigon, is booming with new apartment buildings, bars and restaurants. It’s a quick car or transit ride to either of the city’s two biggest job centers: downtown or the Texas Medical Center. It’s also just a 10-minute commute via freeway to a third giant job center, the Galleria area.
I lived in a similar neighborhood in San Diego. Little Italy, located downtown, was within walking distance of my job at city hall. But most people in my neighborhood commuted to work by driving north on Interstate 5, out of downtown, toward the job centers in La Jolla and Mira Mesa. Every morning when I looked out my window at I-5, I saw the evidence. Traffic was backed up going out of the city.

http://www.governing.com/columns/urban-notebook/gov-urban-freeway.html

The New Urban Agenda: Bringing urban development back to sustainability track

ICLEI highlights its key priorities before UN Member States entering into a negotiation mode of the HABITATIII process.
The 3rd UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (HabitatIII) has concluded regional and thematic consultations and will advance with the negotiations of the outcome document.
This new phase started with the Open Ended Informal Consultation Meetings (OEICM) held at the UN Headquarters in New York on 25-29 April 2016.

http://www.iclei.org/details/article/the-new-urban-agenda-bringing-urban-development-back-to-sustainability-track.html

Green Cities: Breathe deeply and walk freely

As much as I love my winter city, when spring rolls around life brightens up. The onslaught of studies from Friday’s Earth Day imply that our feel-good response to the fresh lime green of spring does much more than pump endorphins. How we green our cities may be a life and death issue. People with greenery close to home have significantly lower mortality rates, according to new analysis of the extensive Nurses’ Health Study.
If you’re a frequent PlaceShakers reader, you’ve heard us tout biophilia – or the love of living systems – particularly where nature has been integrated into urbanism. We’ve looked at how land use and transportation choice impact the earth. We’ve blogged about compact development patterns as a tool for rural preservation. We’ve explored the rapid change for the Inuit living on the land, where they’ve gone “from igloos to internet” in 40 years. And on Huffington Post, PlaceMakers’ Kaid Benfield is an advocate for the landscape, weaving preservation into development policy and nature into neighbourhoods.

http://www.placemakers.com/2016/04/26/green-cities-breathe-deep-and-walk-freely/

Malmö and Murcia awarded for their mobility policy

Swedish Covenant city of Malmö won the 4th Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP) Award while Spanish Covenant city of Murcia got the European Mobility Week Award during a ceremony held on 20 April in Brussels.
The jury was particularly impressed by Malmö's integrated planning process focusing on creating an efficient multi-modal network and on social and economic factors. The municipality has been improving accessibility for different social groups and developing a clear and consistent urban freight policy while setting up a new tram and hybrid buses system.

http://www.eumayors.eu/news_en.html?id_news=737

COP22 Low-Emissions Solutions Conference will bring together cities, government and business to scale up climate solutions

The Government of Morocco, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, World Business Council for Sustainable Development and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, will present the solutions-focused conference during COP22 in November 2016.
Cities, business and government will come together to scale up solutions for climate action at COP22 in Marrakesh, Morocco, following an announcement on 5 May that four leading organizations will present a Low-Emissions Solutions Conference in order to accelerate the implementation of solutions under the historic Paris Agreement.
The Government of Morocco will host the conference in partnership with UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, World Business Council for Sustainability and ICLEI. The parties formalized their collaboration on the conference by signing a Memorandum of Understanding today at the Climate Action 2016 summit in Washington DC.

http://www.iclei.org/details/article/cop22-low-emissions-solutions-conference-will-bring-together-cities-government-and-business-to-scal.html

Social acceptance in new smart energy districts: a lesson from Spain

Keeping tenants in retrofitted buildings fully informed about the plans helps foster their acceptance of such change in their housing
Torrelago is one of the largest residential districts in Europe. Located in the Spanish city Laguna de Duero, near Valladolid, it consists of 31 blocks of flats with more than 4,000 residents. The district is experiencing a green revolution, which is expected to be a model in Europe.
It is one of three locations chosen by the European project CITyFIED, started in 2014, to redesign the envelope of the buildings. Its aim is to improve their energy efficiency and to replace the existing district heating with a biomass-based system. However, social acceptance has not been easy in this retrofitting project.

http://www.cityfied.eu/News/ArticlesInterviews/Social-Acceptance-In-New-Smart-Energy-Districts-A-Lesson-From-Spain.kl

What Are Trees Worth to Cities?

David Nowak whittles down 30 years of studying the economic value of forests to this advice: If you can only plant one tree, plant it in a city.
After all, in an era of overwhelming need for urban infrastructure improvements, trees offer cities some of the best bang for their buck. Trees remove carbon dioxide, filter air pollution, and produce oxygen. They absorb rainwater, UV radiation, and noise. They slow down traffic, improve property values, and reduce human stress and mental fatigue. And they provide shade, which means we have to use less energy to cool down.

http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2016/04/what-are-trees-worth-to-cities/478809/

European local governments call for a Common Asylum Policy

Mayors and locally elected representatives gathered in Nicosia (Cyprus) on 20 April 2016 for a meeting of the Policy Committee of UCLG's European section, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR). The meeting, held just before the CEMR Congress, led to a call for a common European Asylum Policy.
The adopted Declaration on refugees (version française) focuses on the main aspects discussed during the meeting: security, finances and integration. Participants stressed that the role of local government is extremely important in dealing with the refugee crisis.

http://www.uclg.org/en/media/news/european-local-governments-call-common-asylum-policy

U.S. task force warns cities on efforts against homeless camps

A year ago, Mayor Eric Garcetti stood with First Lady Michelle Obama before a crowd of 900 in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza and pledged to end veteran homelessness in the city by 2016.
Six months later, Garcetti and the U.S. secretaries for Housing and Veterans Affairs led columns of volunteers, advance men and news media past the derelict lean-tos and ragged tents of skid row for the official homeless count.
But in the last month, the show of unity on homeless policy with federal agencies in the Obama administration has been fraying. Both the Department of Justice and a federal interagency task force have challenged efforts nationwide that have aimed to "criminalize" homelessness — something critics have accused Los Angeles city leaders of doing with a recent crackdown on encampments.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-homeless-doj-20150907-story.html

Building a Bikeable City for All

As bicycle advocacy evolves and municipalities invest more in making way for riders, bike equity must be more than a conversation.
A small group of bike advocates gathered at a cafe in the Woodlawn neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side in November 2014. There’s nothing unusual in a few cyclists meeting over coffee, but this particular group was on a mission. Frustrated with what they saw as the city’s lack of investment in bike infrastructure and bike-share in low-income communities and communities of color, they decided to make a big push for change. Step one for those at the cafe that day — Slow Roll Chicago President Oboi Reed; Red, Bike and Green organizer Eboni Senai Hawkins; Friends of the Major Taylor Trail President Peter Taylor; and Major Taylor Cycling Club of Chicago President Shawn Conley — write an open letter to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Bicycle Advisory Council.

https://nextcity.org/features/view/cities-build-bike-lanes-bike-share-bike-equity

Shared Mobility and the Transformation of Public Transit

Technology is transforming transportation. The ability to request, track and pay for trips via mobile devices is changing the way people get around and interact with cities. This report examines the relationship of public transportation to shared modes, including bikesharing, carsharing, and ridesourcing services, and research shows that the more people use shared modes, the more likely they are to use public transit, own fewer cars, and spend less on transportation overall.

http://smartgrowth.org/shared-mobility-and-the-transformation-of-public-transit/

The Growing Case for a New Approach to SF's Parking Problem

As intuitive as that may sound, until recently there wasn’t definitive research showing the link between available parking and driving. And through most of the 20th Century, the policies that shaped cities like San Francisco relied the assumption that parking must be built to meet an inevitable demand.
Now, a growing body of research shows that it works the other way around: available parking is perhaps the single biggest factor in people’s decision to drive. The research shows that just building housing on a transit line doesn’t reduce automobile use, but reducing parking does.

https://www.sfmta.com/about-sfmta/blog/growing-case-new-approach-sfs-parking-problem

Nine FLOW Exchange Cities selected

Following a competitive call, Nicosia (CY), Tallinn (EE), Thessaloniki (GR), Pisa (IT), Ploiesti (RO), Örebro (SE), Zurich (CH), Izmir (TR), Manchester (UK) have been selected to join the FLOW project as Exchange Cities. They will be “twinned” with FLOW Partner Cities based on their interests in walking and cycling measures.
A series of in-person workshops, eLearning, an online exchange platform and support from FLOW experts will ensure that the cities learn concretely how to improve their local planning and modelling practices to maximise the congestion reducing potential of their walking and cycling measures in their local contexts.

http://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1103/45/Nine-FLOW-Exchange-Cities-selected

'We have lost the science of building cities' – meet Joan Clos, the unofficial world leader for cities

Unaffordable housing, corruption, the lack of public space … can UN-Habitat improve the lot of the billions of people living in cities around the world? Mike Herd talks to Dr Joan Clos ahead of this year’s Habitat III summit
If there is such a thing as a world leader for cities, a spokesman for the planet’s exploding urban constituency, then perhaps it’s the likeable, silver-haired bundle of Catalan energy sitting across the table from me.

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/apr/18/lost-science-building-cities-joan-clos-un-habitat

Vancouver creates ‘disaster support hubs’ for next emergency

Vancouver is meticulously planning for a disaster that it hopes will never come.
The Vancouver Observer reports that the municipality posted bright yellow “disaster support hub” signs in 25 locations. The idea is that in the event of an earthquake or other calamity, citizens would know where to safely congregate.
The western Canadian city would prioritize rescue and relief efforts to the designated hubs, the article says. The hubs also would empower residents by encouraging them to plan ahead and giving them a place to organize themselves in the moments after a disaster, before emergency officials can reach them. “Everyone has a role to play in making sure we can respond and recover from disasters such as an earthquake,” Vancouver Deputy City Manager Sadhu Johnston said, according to the article.

http://citiscope.org/citisignals/2016/vancouver-creates-disaster-support-hubs-next-emergency

Improving with age? How city design is adapting to older populations

As cities experience a demographic shift, the need for age-friendly design is becoming ever more critical. From almshouses to driverless cars, the future of urban housing and mobility may just be shaped for and by the elderly

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/apr/25/improving-with-age-how-city-design-is-adapting-to-older-populations

How to be truly walkable

What does "walkability" really mean? In an article on the Placemakers website, Susan Henderson highlighted the Surgeon General's call to build more walkable neighborhoods by calling out three specific aspects of walkability that go beyond just street design or slowing cars. From the article:
The Surgeon General points out that design and land use are critical components to increasing walkability, but leaves it up to all of us to define what walkability means at home. Working in the delightfully walkable neighborhoods in and around Portland this week, we are reminded of three key elements that create a walkable neighborhood: it has to be entertaining, feel safe, and provide meaningful destinations.
This nuanced understanding of walkability is important. To truly have a successful walkable neighborhood, you need more than wide sidewalks and narrow streets: you need a reason to walk. Susan outlines these three facets of true walkability:

http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/4/18/3-things-a-neighborhood-needs-to-be-truly-walkable

How Europe’s towns and cities can address current refugee crises?

On Wednesday, April 6th, EUKN participated in the conference “How Europe’s towns and cities can address current refugee crises?” at the Brussels EIB office, organised by the URBAN Intergroup, together with the European Investment Bank (EIB).
In his introductory speech, Permanent Representative of the EIB to the EU, Mr Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, mentioned that the EIB will be assisting Member States to "handle in most effective way investments needed to respond to the issues related to the migration and refugee crisis". Jan Olbrycht, President of the URBAN Intergroup, reminded the audience that local authorities currently find themselves facing new competences, while at the same time, they tend to have discussions related to fear, instead of reflecting on the 'process'. An example would be the instruments and measures to be considered in order to successfully address the most urgent issues, as well as the evolution of the crisis.

http://www.eukn.eu/news/detail/eib-urban-intergroup-how-europes-towns-and-cities-can-address-current-refugee-crises/

Why Mexico City's ‘High Line’ didn't fly

In May 2014, the government of Mexico City published ambitious plans for a new linear park along and above Avenida Chapultepec, one of its busiest and most congested thoroughfares.
The new structure, to be built partly on decks above street level, evoked New York’s High Line, the popular elevated park atop an abandoned railway that has inspired new parks projects in cities around the world. Avenida Chapultepec was to be narrowed, calming traffic, while water features and green space would have been installed.
But at the end of last year, two-thirds of those who voted in a local referendum gave the Chapultepec Cultural Corridor a thumbs-down.

http://citiscope.org/story/2016/why-mexico-citys-high-line-didnt-fly

6 Innovative Projects That Are Making Cities Better

The Knight Cities Challenge just gave out $5 million to winning ideas from civic innovators to help 26 particular American cities, from Detroit to Macon, Georgia. But there's no reason these ideas can't be used elsewhere. Here are six of the 37 winning projects that other cities might want to steal.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3058461/6-innovative-projects-that-are-making-cities-better-that-other-cities-should-steal

Global report on urban health: equitable, healthier cities for sustainable development

http://www.urbanafrica.net/resources/15165/

How disaster sparked Napier's art deco renaissance

After the ruinous Hawke’s Bay earthquake, rebuilding a city in the midst of the Great Depression seemed impossible. But through artistry and enterprise, Napier became home to the highest concentration of art deco buildings in the world

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/apr/15/story-of-cities-napier-disaster-art-deco-renaissance

Pocket Homes for City Makers

London is a city renowned for sky-high rent and housing prices, leaving many people to question wether they will ever be able to afford a flat in the city. Aimed at City Makers, Pocket offers an alternative to the traditional housing market and the chance for young professionals to buy their first home.
Average earning Londoners are often stuck between the social housing and real estate market, making too much to qualify for social housing and not being able to afford a downpayment for a flat on the market. This forces many people out of the city, further stratifying London city life, creating long, unsustainable commutes and putting pressure on businesses whose employees have been forced to move out of the city. Pocket, a new private property developer, builds compact, accessible homes for City Makers. With the goal of offering attractive, well-situated flats at a fair price, Pocket designs and builds homes for the many “young, middle-earning Londoners who contribute to their city in so many ways, but can’t afford to buy their first home.”

https://citiesintransition.eu/place/pocket-homes-for-city-makers

On street parking management report

This new publication by the SUTP focuses on issues regarding unmanaged and illegal parking in cities and how On Street Parking Management can support creating a more efficient street use. The document provides different approaches to on-street parking management and policy advice as well as relevant information for street design. This toolkit also provides the required information for the design but also how to detect parking rules violations. The publication was authored by Paul Barter, a transport policy researcher and advisor.

http://ecomobility.org/2016/04/05/new-publication-from-sutp-on-street-parking-management/

Upstate New York Cities to Illuminate Blight

Public art installations in Albany, Schenectady and Troy will illuminate hundreds of vacant buildings across the three New York cities to draw attention to urban blight, reports the Troy Record, and to encourage potential buyers to invest in their revitalization.
The brainchild of local artist Adam Frelin and architect Barbara Nelson, “Breathing Lights” intends to renew interest and investment in city neighborhoods with high vacancy rates. To support action on these issues, the project also includes eight months of programming and events. Free building reclamation clinics will educate potential property owners about basic home repairs and lead paint hazards, as well as resources available to help purchase blighted properties, like tax credits and grant programs.

https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/upstate-new-york-cities-to-illuminate-blighted-properties

Paradoxes Of A Smart City – Part 1: Efficiency Increase Vs Absolute Consumption

In a previous blog post, the ICLEI Smart Cities team explored three smart cities examples and argued that smart cities are not about technology but about defining their sustainable development path. We also proposed that cities in practice have moved on from the question “what is a smart city?” to “what works for us and what doesn’t?” This is what we call the Smart City 2.0 debate.
The Smart Cities 2.0 debate is not only about pragmatism and addressing local needs; it is also about facing trade-offs and difficult choices, or finding the right balance, when that ‘win-win solution’ we are looking for just doesn’t seem to present itself in practice. This is what we aim to address in our “Three Paradoxes of a Smart City” blog series. In this first post, we will talk about how efficiency increase can actually increase absolute consumption and work against sustainability goals: the phenomenon known as Jevons Paradox.

http://talkofthecities.iclei.org/blog/paradoxes-of-a-smart-city-1-efficiency-increase-vs-absolute-consumption/

‘Low’ risk of terrorist attacks on U.S. subways, trains, buses

Although terrorists have attacked trains and subway systems in Europe, there is relatively little risk that they will assault similar targets in the United States, according to the nation’s transportation security chief.
“Right now we consider the general risk to be low in the United States domestically against surface transportation,” said Peter Neffenger, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). “That’s freight rail, light rail, metro subway systems, over the road buses and the like.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/tsa-chief-sees-low-risk-of-terrorist-attacks-on-us-subways-trains-buses/2016/04/11/0a2abd08-ff6f-11e5-9203-7b8670959b88_story.html

Why mixed-income neighbourhoods matter

There’s a hopeful new sign that how we build our cities, and specifically, how good a job we do of building mixed income neighborhoods that are open to everyone can play a key role in reducing poverty and promoting equity. New research shows that neighborhood effects—the impact of peers, the local environment, neighbors—contribute significantly to success later in life. Poor kids who grow up in more mixed income neighborhoods have better lifetime economic results. This signals that an important strategy for addressing poverty is building cities where mixed income neighborhoods are the norm, rather than the exception. And this strategy can be implemented in a number of ways—not just by relocating the poor to better neighborhoods, but by actively promoting greater income integration in the neighborhoods, mostly in cities, that have higher than average poverty rates.

http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/4/4/why-mixed-income-neighborhoods-matter-lifting-kids-out-of-poverty

International Transport Experts visit Kaohsiung

A two day workshop was held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in March to provide suggestions for the “EcoMobility World Festival 2017” to be hosted in Kaohsiung City in October 2017. The workshop was organized by the Transportation Bureau of the Kaohsiung City Government and the EcoMobility team of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. The workshop focused on the challenges and expectations for the district chosen for the festival: Hamaxing (or Hamasen).
Experts from around the world surveyed the streets either by bicycle or on foot and provided suggestions for the mobility improvement plans to go along with the festival. Several of these experts were also attendees to the Velo-city Global 2016 Bike Congress held in Taipei. Suggestions included to promote small scale projects of impact, such as bicycle campaigns, to gradually improve urban living environments and road safety.

- See more at: http://ecomobility.org/2016/03/04/international-transport-experts-visit-kaohsiung/

The Struggle to Build an American Suburb in Uganda

Akright City promised an alternative to the African cities once designed for the colonial elite. But it has become something it was never meant to be.
The neat row of homes on Avocado Lane are nearly identical — two-bedroom red-roofed houses with SUVs in their driveways and welcome mats on their doorsteps. Toys lie scattered on lawns and in the distance you can hear the low buzz of a lawn mower chomping through the tall grass.
If you think this sounds like an American suburb, you’re about 8,000 miles off.
Welcome to Akright City, Uganda.

http://www.citylab.com/design/2016/04/akright-city-uganda-kampala-suburb-anatoli-kamugisha/479217/

Africa's ‘smart’ cities urged to bring technology to the masses

With modern new cities rising across Africa, there’s enthusiam about the introduction of “smart” technology such as sensors and using high-powered data analytics to solve urban problems. But Cynthia Gordon writes for Mail & Guardian Africa that the smartest move city planners can make is to offer technology that’s more affordable to more people. Examples include Internet access for schools, digital literacy and inexpensive smartphones.
“The key planning principle must be a bottom-up approach,” advises Gordon, CEO of the Africa division of Millicom, a mobile telecommunications provider. Basic infrastructure and universal standards could be more beneficial that cutting-edge technology that doesn’t serve the masses, she writes. Birth certificates issued via mobile phones would ensure that children born in informal settlements have access to public services and are guaranteed full rights as citizens.

http://citiscope.org/citisignals/2016/africas-smart-cities-urged-bring-technology-masses

School's new policy bans parents from walking children to school

Pick your child up from school and you could be charged with trespassing. That's the threat against parents at Bear Branch Elementary School in Magnolia ISD. This is the school's tactic to keep parents who live close to the school from walking on school grounds.
Bear Branch is losing students over this pick up policy, that's been in place since the beginning of this school year. The principal has decided that no matter how close the student lives to the school, the student must either take the bus, or the parent must wait in a long car pickup line. Try to walk your student off the campus and you could face criminal charges.

http://www.fox26houston.com/news/117783912-story

The Best Complete Streets Policies of 2015

The U.S. Surgeon General and Secretary of Transportation both spoke out for more Complete Streets last year. Congress passed a transportation bill that included Complete Streets language for the first time ever. And the City of Reading, PA, adopted the first policy to ever score a perfect 100 in our analysis. Together, these all helped set a new high water mark for the national movement for safer streets across the country. Sixteen agencies led the nation in creating and adopting comprehensive Complete Streets policies in 2015. Smart Growth America scored these policies; this report shares the best ones, which are a model for communities across the country.

http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/best-cs-policies-of-2015.pdf

New global alliance for urban crisis

The Global Alliance for Urban Crises will be officially launched during the World Humanitarian Summit taking place on 23-24 May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Alliance aims to bring together UN agencies, urban professionals, the development community and the private sector in a common platform for advocacy, lobbying and action to respond to the growing importance of urban humanitarian assistance.

http://www.uclg.org/en/media/news/uclg-will-take-part-new-global-alliance-urban-crisis

San Sebastian waste collection now with e-trikes

In San Sebastian, the company which is responsible for waste collection and street cleaning will work from now on with electric tricycles.
San Sebastian, partner in the Cyclelogistics project, continues to be a front-runner on the use of sustainable vehicles.
The city recently presented its new cleaning plant, which brings the total of used vehicles to clean the streets and collect waste to 116.

http://www.eltis.org/discover/news/san-sebastian-waste-collection-now-e-trikes-spain

Vacaresti Nature Park – an oasis in Bucharest city

On an abandoned construction site an unexpectedly rich natural ecosystem has developed in recent years. The works for a hydrotechnical project commenced by the Communist regime in 1986 were left unfinished. The area is located in south Bucharest, 4 km away from the city center.
It is an area of ??approximately 190 hectares with miniature lakes and wetland vegetation. Over 90 species of birds and wild animals live in this area. The presence of the otter is the best indicator of the Vacaresti ecosystem’s quality.

https://citiesintransition.eu/place/vacaresti-nature-park-an-oasis-in-bucharest-city

Will Habitat III produce an effective ‘new urban agenda?’

Habitat III will be one of the first global United Nations conferences since the the 2015 meetings on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris climate change summit.
The stated aim of Habitat III is to agree a "new urban agenda" that will support the implementation of the SDGs in urban areas. Working groups have been drafting the agenda in preparation for formal agreement by governments at the global summit, which will convene in Quito, Ecuador in October 2016.

http://scienmag.com/briefing-will-habitat-iii-produce-an-effective-new-urban-agenda/

The ‘New Mobility Services’ Smart City initiative presented by its Chair

The Chair of the ‘New Mobility Services’ initiative, Younis Hijazi, talks abotu it in an interview.
The New Mobility Services initiative of the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-SCC) wants to help better integrate and manage urban transport and contribute to the development of collective systems for seamless multi-modal mobility (door-to-door).The New Mobility Services initiative was officially launched on 28 January 2016, when representative cities signed a manifesto to action in the presence of Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc.

http://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1092/45/The-New-Mobility-Services-Smart-City-initiative-presented-by-its-Chair

Companies rediscover the allure of cities

More than 500 companies relocated, opened new offices or expanded in downtowns nationally from 2010 to 2015, according to a study by Smart Growth America and Cushman & Wakefield.
If Bill Gates and Paul Allen were moving their new Microsoft here today, it’s doubtful they would locate in far suburban Redmond.
To attract the most talented millennials, and even empty-nest boomers and Gen Xers, they would need the dynamism and connectedness of downtown Seattle or one of the other urban centers or boutique cores (think Kirkland) in the Puget Sound region.
These coveted employees want quality density, abundant public transit, urban amenities and walkable neighborhoods. They want the “cool factor“ and authenticity. Increasingly, so do their employers.

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/companies-rediscover-the-allure-of-cities/

Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation

Addressing global challenges and partnerships, enhancing local capacities towards Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030
Metropolis is proud to partner up with the city of Guangzhou, China, and endorse the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation. For its 3rd edition, whose ceremony will be celebrated from 6 to 8 December, 2016 we are delighted to call for submissions.

www.guangzhouaward.org

EU cities want a bigger say on migration policy

On Tuesday the fifth of April, Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu and Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos received Mayors, Vice-Mayors and political representatives from several European Cities (including Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Malmo and Paris) to discuss ways to effectively integrate recently-arrived migrants in urban areas. Migration is largely an urban issue, and successful integration of migrants in cities mean opportunities for all in the long term. To achieve this, common innovative solutions are needed, with a strong involvement of all stakeholders in urban policies. This topic has been discussed in a roundtable discussion titled “How to strengthen the integration of migrants in an urban context”.
The roundtable discussion revealed that cities found themselves are at the forefront of the migration crisis, yet they have limited access to direct EU funding and they also want a bigger say in national policies. Cities are confronted with challenges like education, housing and employment. Several mayors mentioned that they lack information on specific funds and that governments should listen to local governments.

http://www.eukn.eu/news/detail/eu-cities-want-a-bigger-say-on-migration-policy/

Towards decarbonised and resilient cities

On 17 March, the Mayors Adapt Office and the Committee of the Regions organised a workshop entitled “Towards decarbonised and resilient cities: The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy” in the framework of the European Habitat III Conference in Prague.
The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy was presented as a key instrument for cities to keep up to the climate challenge and to implement the Paris Agreement.

http://www.eumayors.eu/news_en.html?id_news=728

World Health Organisation report on active mobility

On its final report on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO), WHO states the urgency of childhood obesity in particular in developing countries. The report contains analysis from global health experts regarding the required public health policies for children. The policies include the provision of safe and accessible walking and cycling facilities.

http://ecomobility.org/2016/01/29/who-report-active-mobility-has-key-role-in-tackling-childhood-obesity/

IPCC to Give Cities Special Focus

A successful #CitiesIPCC campaign by city networks and urban stakeholders has resulted in a decision by the IPCC to pay special attention to cities in its work program towards 2028. Building on the success of COP21, this decision adds to the engagement of cities in tackling climate change and provides new opportunities for collaboration among cities, states and the international scientific community.

http://www.iclei.org/details/article/ipcc-to-give-cities-special-focus.html

San Francisco adopts law requiring solar panels on all new buildings

Tech capital is first major US city to require all new buildings of 10 storeys or under to have solar panels, reports BusinessGreen
San Francisco has this week passed landmark legislation requiring all new buildings under 10 storeys in height to be fitted with rooftop solar panels.
The city’s San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the new rule on Tuesday, making the metropolis the largest in the US to mandate solar installations on new properties.
Smaller Californian cities such as Lancaster and Sebastopol already have similar laws in place, but San Francisco is the first large city to adopt the new standard.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/21/san-francisco-adopts-law-requiring-solar-panels-on-all-new-buildings

Re-coupling the railways

Many railway lines in Britain that were closed in the 1960s are re-opening
A museum in the centre of Wisbech, a Georgian town of 30,000 souls in East Anglia, proudly displays the original manuscript of Charles Dickens’s “Great Expectations”. Those were days in which Wisbech prospered. The frenzy of railway building in the 19th century gave the town three stations. Now it has none. The last passenger train left in 1968, five years after the report by Richard Beeching, chairman of British Railways, on the future of rail, which led to the closure of nearly a third of Britain’s 17,000 miles of track and a third of its 7,000 stations. The town has suffered economically.

http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21697012-many-railway-lines-britain-were-closed-1960s-are-re-opening-re-coupling

What cities are doing on low carbon transport to the 365 campaign

This database has been designed to bring together national commitments and initiatives from the transport sector to help inspire and encourage transformational change.

We invite you to submit one (or more) examples of actions via the submit tab at www.365campaign.com

Amsterdam: European Capital of Innovation 2016

Amsterdam’s holistic vision of innovation has not gone unnoticed. The city, home to Pakhuis de Zwijger, De Ceuvel and now FabCity, was awarded the title of European Capital of Innovation 2016, related to four areas of urban life: governance, economics, social inclusion, and quality of life.
A panel of independent experts chose Amsterdam out of a close competition between eight more contenders. It was selected for “embracing a bottom-up approach based on smart growth, startups, livability and digital social innovation.” Amsterdam’s € 950 000 first prize will be used to scale up and expand the city’s efforts on innovation.

https://citiesintransition.eu/publication/amsterdam-european-capital-of-innovation-2016

Soviet squares: how public space is disappearing in post-communist cities

Privatisation is stripping cities in Russia and Eastern Europe of their public assets, leaving a chaotic mix of advertising, dilapidation and new development
From 1917 to 1991 in the former Russian Empire, and from 1945 to 1989 in the countries it dominated after the war, there was no real private ownership. No landowners, no developers, no “placemakers” - in half of Europe. Did this mean public space was done differently, and are attitudes to it different in those countries?

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/apr/21/soviet-squares-public-space-post-communist-cities

A Paris Neighborhood Is Suing the City for Leaving It Too Dirty

The area’s reputation for untidiness is long-standing, but change may be afoot.
Visit Chateau Rouge Market in Paris on an average evening and you could be forgiven for assuming a riot had just taken place. Packing cases litter the sidewalks, old produce squelches under foot and you may even spot the occasional scuffle between traders. Such is the unchangingly shabby state of this corner of Northeast Paris on market days that locals are now taking legal action against their own city.

http://www.citylab.com/work/2016/04/a-paris-neighborhood-is-suing-the-city-for-leaving-it-too-dirty/479073/

Thai cities get tough on climate change

Searing temperatures and worsening floods have prompted nine Thai cities to prioritize climate action. The nine mayors have committed to the Compact of Mayors, a consortium that works with global cities to mitigate climate change. The development marks the first time that Thai municipalities have joined the group, according to an announcement on Medium.
The cities are Sisaket, Phuket, Kokruat, Phanomsarakham, Mapammarit, Yasothon, Phanatnikom, Hat Siao and Lampan. They have pledged to reduce fossil-fuel emissions, better prepare for evolving climatic conditions and monitor their progress, the article says.
The announcement about their pledge to the Compact followed their participation in the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s (UNISDR) Low Carbon and Disaster Resilient Cities event in Bangkok. The gathering was held on March 24.

http://citiscope.org/citisignals/2016/nine-thai-cities-get-tough-climate-change

Report on the 2nd International Conference on Learning Cities

‘It is through sharing and exchange that we can enhance the building of sustainable learning cities.’ Arne Carlsen, Director, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning
The Report on the 2nd International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC), which took place from 28 to 30 September 2015 in Mexico City, has just been published. The Report details the proceedings and outcomes of the 2nd ICLC, which brought together over 650 participants from 95 countries to define the role of learning cities in shaping the Sustainable Development Agenda.

http://learningcities.uil.unesco.org/news-and-events/news/2016-04-07-report-on-the-2nd-international-conference-on-learning-cities-just-published/effd19f0199f3aa19a979f8434fb5e31

LAST MONTH'S NEWS