NewsJanuary2018

We will have the pleasure to welcome you from 18 to 20 April 2018 in Rennes (France), where will be held our annual conference, organised with the City and the Urban Community of Rennes.
For more information, please visit the dedicated website of the conference: www.annualconference.energy-cities.eu

Transit Oriented Development Conference

Join LA Metro at their headquarters in downtown Los Angeles this spring for the latest TOD news, projects, best practices, and more. Join developers, investors, real estate experts, architects, urban planners, planning departments, transit agencies, business leaders, place managers, state planners, funders, and experts working to accelerate high quality TOD.
This important conference brings together leaders in the Transit Oriented Development field to showcase the latest in best practices for the design and development of TODs.
http://www.tod.org/events/la2018.html

The Automotive Liberation of Paris

The city has waged a remarkably successful effort to get cars off its streets and reclaim walkable space. But it didn’t happen overnight.
For all the attention Paris gets for its transportation woes—awful smog, endless strikes, traffic jams—the city’s remarkable shift away from the car arguably deserves more.
https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/01/the-automotive-liberation-of-paris/550718/

Green crowdfunding: disruption or opportunity?

The disruptive character of digital technologies and startups has been acknowledged by the banks themselves, but the effects of renewable energy crowdfunding on traditional banking do more than pose a threat
Crowdfunding is considered by some experts to have the same effect on banks as Uber has on taxis. Green energy crowdfunding is no exception: the process is 100% digital and lets everybody become an investor or request funding for a sustainable project, without going through the banks.
http://www.crowdfundres.eu/news/green-crowdfunding-disruption-opportunity/

IT Trans Conference Programme

As IT-TRANS approaches (Karlsruhe, 6-8 March) UITP is pleased to announce more details on our conference programme – as our 2018 edition looks set to be the best yet.
IT-TRANS is the leading conference where the sector meets to exchange, discuss and invent IT solutions and to drill down into the issues such as account-based ticketing, the API economy, on-demand travel and more. These subjects are changing the business so the need to discuss them is now.
More than 500 conference delegates ranging from CEOs and managers to engineers, experts and consultants coming from 40 countries across the world will gather in Karlsruhe to discuss, network and participate in sessions vital to the industry debate.
https://www.it-trans.org/en/programme/conference-programme/index-2.html

Urban Transitions 2018 conference is accepting abstracts until 8 June

The Urban Transitions 2018 conference on Integrating Urban and Transport Planning, Environment and Health for Healthier Urban Living will take place on 25-27 November 2018 in Sitges, Barcelona Spain.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1579/45/Urban-Transitions-2018-conference-is-accepting-abstracts-until-8-June

Sustainable and Liveable Cities and Urban Areas

Joint Call for Proposals
The pilot call Sustainable and Liveable Cities and Urban Areas organized by JPI Urban Europe and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), inviting interdisciplinary Sino-European consortia will be announced on January 31st.
https://jpi-urbaneurope.eu/sustainable-urbanisation-china-europe/

When it Comes to Urban Planning, Strategy Isn’t Enough

When it comes to addressing the most urgent priorities of our urban communities, city governments often look to strategy as their first order of business. While this is a wise, albeit necessary, step for any urban development project, it is not responsible for keeping a vision alive.
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/when-it-comes-to-urban-planning-strategy-isnt-enough

World Bank at the World Urban Forum

Over a year ago, national and city leaders from around the world gathered at the Habitat III conference in Quito to endorse the New Urban Agenda, which sets a new global standard for sustainable urban development and guides global efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in the era of climate change.
In just three weeks, early February 2018, representatives of the world’s countries and cities will convene again to discuss “Cities 2030, Cities for All: Implementing the New Urban Agenda” at the world’s premier conference on cities – the Ninth Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF9) in Kuala Lumpur, co-hosted by UN-Habitat and the government of Malaysia.
http://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/world-bank-world-urban-forum-three-key-ways-implement-new-urban-agenda

Smart Mobility at Connected Smart Cities

The annual Connected Smart Cities Conference (CSCC) took place this year on 11 January, bringing together representatives of cities, international institutions, academia and industry to discuss this year’s theme “Cities Driving the Digital Transition”. The conference was structured in two sets of parallel discussion panels, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and featured discussions on a variety of topics, from IoT ecosystems, market creation, data protection, and global IoT standards for smart cities and communities, to smart mobility and the role of IoT in the energy and water supply industries.
The conference was introduced by Open & Agile Smart Cities’ (OASC – the organiser of CSCC) Chair Dr Martin Brynskov and OASC co-founder Jarmo Eskelinen. The opening plenary session featured speeches from European Union Committee of Regions First Vice-President Markku Markkula, who welcomed the steps already taken to make cities smarter and explained some of the ways in which the EU helps facilitate the path towards achieving smart cities, such as providing financing for new initiatives and assisting municipalities, stakeholders and citizens in their efforts by serving as a point of information.
http://erticonetwork.com/smart-mobility-discussed-connected-smart-cities-conference-2018/

Global District Energy Initiative brings 62 cities closer to a low-carbon reality

The Global District Energy Initiative showed great results in 2017, supporting 62 cities worldwide in exploring policies, technologies and actions to roll our modern district energy, drastically reducing energy demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while improving quality of life.
http://www.iclei.org/details/article/global-district-energy-initiative-brings-62-cities-closer-to-low-carbon-reality.html

5 Ways to Measure a Mayor's Success

In local government, success is defined by what you leave behind.
Former Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, who is now a fellow with the Open Society Foundation, met with a group of us at Governing a few months ago to discuss the project he is working on for the foundation, an effort to identify the characteristics of leadership that result in success for state and local government officials. Of course, before you can identify those traits, you have to define the goal itself. In local government, for example, what constitutes success for a mayor or a city manager?
http://www.governing.com/commentary/gov-leadership-success.html

Cities and Climate Change Science Conference

The City of Edmonton, Canada is hosting the 2018 Cities and Climate Change Science Conference. The conference, co-sponsored by the IPCC and a coalition of United Nations agencies, research and local governments network, including ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, promises to boost the scientific understanding of climate change and cities.
https://citiesipcc.org/

ICLEI and CDP: A unified climate reporting platform for cities

At the UN climate conference in Bonn (COP23), ICLEI’s Gino Van Begin and CDP’s Paul Simpson made an important announcement that CDP and ICLEI will partner to present one unified platform for city climate reporting.
http://www.iclei.org/details/article/iclei-and-cdp-a-unified-climate-reporting-platform-for-cities.html

Cities May Be Facing a New Housing Crisis

As rents and demand for renting increase, millions of Americans are being evicted -- sometimes with only a few days' notice.
During the housing crisis and Great Recession a decade ago, millions of Americans were evicted from their homes for being unable to pay their mortgages. Now, many housing experts say America is on the verge of a new eviction crisis, and this time, it's affecting renters.
“We have had basically a lot of demand for rental, and tight credit markets have pushed up that demand by people who would normally own homes,” says Dan Immergluck, an urban studies professor at Georgia State University.
http://www.governing.com/topics/urban/gov-eviction-crisis-housing-homeless-cities-lc.html

Panasonic’s Colorado Smart City project under way

Two years ago, in 2016, electronics giant Panasonic teamed up with the city of Denver, Colorado, to create a futuristic smart city from scratch, using a 400-acre stretch of available land near the Denver International Airport. It was envisaged as a decade-long project, but just two years later, the steps being made to apply technology to the new city’s road system show that considerable progress is already being made and the project is under way.
http://www.urenio.org/2018/01/18/panasonics-colorado-smart-city-project-way/

ICLEI World Congress - registration opening soon

The ICLEI World Congress is the premier global gathering of hundreds local and regional governments and their strategic partners steering the course of the global urban agenda.
Attendees will include Mayors, governors, city staff, community members, international organizations, businesses, researchers and other stakeholders with a key role in advancing urban sustainability.
https://worldcongress2018.iclei.org/

New video showcases GDC signatory cities

Bordeaux, Barcelona, Ghent, Nantes, Tampere, Valencia... meet the GDC signatory cities that were present at Europe's largest smart city fair!
From 14 - 16 November 2017, EUROCITIES’ Green Digital Charter initiative was in Barcelona for the Smart City Expo. Signatory cities were there too, spread at the four corners of the huge exhibition area. Joined by Vision Communication team, our first day was dedicated to tracking down and interviewing city officers about their city’s achievements and vision.
Improving sustainability in cities, enhancing collaboration and peer-learning, fostering digital innovation. The Green Digital Charter connects and empowers cities to imagine the urban future.
Watch the video on the project's YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/3c9RQw5LZjo.

Unbuilt cities: the outrageous highway schemes left as roads to nowhere

The postwar passion for highway construction saw cities around the world carved up in the name of progress. But as communities fought back many schemes were abandoned – their half-built traces showing what might have been
Of all the mistakes made by city planners in the postwar era, the passion for highway construction has to be one of the most foolhardy. After the early success of systems like the autobahn and freeways, cities everywhere were carved up to make way for giant roads, crashing through neighbourhoods and creating opportunities for “comprehensive redevelopment”.
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/jan/05/unbuilt-highways-urban-development-roads-nowhere

Ford develops new mobility solutions for cities

Ford has come up with a new mobility solution for cities: less congestion, vehicle and third-party connectivity, location-based services, route mapping, alerts, identity management, payment processing, data and analytical services, and much more.
http://erticonetwork.com/ford-develops-new-mobility-solutions-cities/

REAL CORP 2018 list of presentation now available

we are glad to inform you that our international reviewer team and programme committee selected 107 abstracts of participants from 31 countries for presentation at REAL CORP 2018.
You can find the list of conference presentations here:
http://www.corp.at/Download/CORP2018/realcorp2018programme.pdf

New Speaker Announcements for SCNY 2018!

The future of cities is now, and the world is gathering at Smart Cities New York. This year, SCNY 2018 will bring together a diverse global community of leaders from business, government, academia, civil society and startups to explore the emerging power of cities on the world stage, and the innovations that are transforming the lives of citizens.
https://www.smartcitiesny.com/speakers

What would an earthquake-proof city look like?

Earthquakes don’t kill people (generally), collapsing buildings do – meaning it is cities where the most lives can be saved. Here are their smartest ideas so far.
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/dec/11/earthquake-proof-city-christchurch-japan-colombia-ecuador

European Cities Could Avoid up to 10,000 Premature Deaths by Expanding Cycling Networks

A study published in ‘Preventive Medicine’ found associations between cycling network length, transport mode share and related health impacts. The analysis of data from 167 European cities suggests that the length of cycling infrastructures is associated with a cycling mode share of up to 24.7%. The study also estimates that if all the assessed cities achieved this mode share, over 10,000 premature deaths could be avoided annually. The analysis is part of European Commission funded Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA) project which ended in October 2017.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1578/45/European-Cities-Could-Avoid-up-to-10-000-Premature-Deaths-by-Expanding-Cycling-Networks

2018 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference

The 17th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference will bring together a national audience of hundreds of smart growth leaders and practitioners. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience! San Francisco, CA.
https://www.newpartners.org/rates-and-policies/

European Transport Conference 2018: Call for Papers

With less than a month to submit your abstract for the European Transport Conference (ETC), the Association of European Transport is delighted to report that submissions have been streaming in to its new website.
The European Transport Conference (ETC) attracts papers that address themes of relevance to the transport agenda in Europe and worldwide. The Conference provides a great opportunity for presenters to network and form career-spanning professional relationships so don't miss out!
https://aetransport.org/en-gb/

Time to apply innovative finance schemes in your city!

Does your city/region have ambitious energy and climate objectives? Are your local/regional strategies and action plans are ready? Is securing other finances without burdening the public budget a problem?
Join the PROSPECT peer-to-peer learning programme on innovative financing by 16 February!
We are looking for European regional and local authorities to join our learning journey either as mentors or mentees.
http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/Time-to-apply-innovative-finance-schemes-in-your-city-WSPO-AV4KRB

5G-equipped cities are vital to making Hungary smarter

Tech corporation ZTE is looking to bring Hungary’s technology up to 21st century standards starting with one major upgrade: a 5G network. While small towns like Szentendre near Budapest have toyed with smart city solutions like Smart Parking systems, it’s up to larger metropolises to set the example when it comes to Smart City projects.
https://smartcitiescouncil.com/article/hungary-5g-equipped-cities-are-vital-making-country-smarter

Ask the Experts - New mobility trends

Ask the Experts is Autonomy's new weekly video series. The idea is to explore and understand new urban mobility trends thanks to their creators. This week, Christophe Chevreton, Director of Renault MOBILITY, talks about the new mobility solutions that his company is encouraging
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBy1RjkxDyM&feature=youtu.be

European Urban and Regional Planning Awards: call is OPEN

Airports, Cities and Urban development
The European Council of Town Planners considers the importance of Airports Cities in the development of metropolitan areas since the beginning of the 20th century.
Aviation and urban planning have developed in parallel over the last century and play together a major role in the future of human society.
Both can be considered in their role of polarization of human activities and planetary diffusion of culture and local specificities.
http://www.ectp-ceu.eu/index.php/en/?option=com_content&view=article&id=444:15-2018awrds-2&catid=13:latest-news

Why cities drive the urban mobility revolution

Unlike tech companies, which are free to move around in cyberspace and therefore can get away with not playing by the rules, urban transport companies need public infrastructure to operate. They must thus respect the city in which they have set foot if they don’t want to risk being shut down.
Uber, despite being one of the world’s most popular apps, has already been banned from several cities across the world. London, for instance, refused to renew the ride-hailing service’s licence after September 30th, due to a “lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications”.
http://blogurbanmobility.com/3-reasons-why-cities-are-a-key-actor-of-the-urban-mobility-revolution/

The “washing machines” district smartens up to halve energy consumption

A peripheral district in Genoa, Italy, has become a smart city lab. The project has improved apartment conditions, reduced waste and lowered the energy bill, all with the help of citizens
The “washing machines” district smartens up to halve energy consumption
Less than three years ago, the so called “Lavatrici” district in Genoa (literally, “washing machines” in Italian) was in poor shape: infiltration, heat dispersion, energy waste. The residents longed for an intervention. Then came a European project, aimed at developing and demonstrating replicable strategies for designing, constructing and managing large-scale district renovation programmes to achieve nearly zero energy cities. Its aim was to achieve 50% energy savings there.
http://r2cities.eu/news_and_events/news/the-washing-machines-district-smartens-up-to-halve-energy-consumption.kl

Eurisy Cities Initiative Event: Save the date!

How can satellites help cities become more sustainable and efficient?
How can satellite-based services enhance our urban experience?
What satellite data is freely available and how to access it?
This conference will aim at addressing such questions. The event will present experiences of use of Earth Observation data in cities and will generate debate among experts, citizens and local administrations on the opportunities and challenges related to the use of satellite-based services to enhance quality of life in cities.
https://www.eurisy.org/event-space4ghent/registration

Side event at World Urban Forum 9 with EAROPH

WUFIn partnership with INTA, EAROPH is organizing a Side Event at the World Urban Forum, themed "Partnership for sustainable growth through integrated community action and flood mitigation: lessons from Indonesia and Australia".
The World Urban Forum, a famous event for urbanism, will also be the first large-scale international meeting for the urban actors since the Quito agreements signature and the implementation of the New Urban Agenda: it is the 2018 Forum theme. Sides Events are sessions of the WUF program set up by third-party organizations, and offer an opportunity to share concrete examples on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.
https://inta-aivn.org/en/news/inta-news/2591-side-event-at-world-urban-forum-9-with-earoph

Velib bike-sharing scheme hits road bump

Paris’ pioneering Velib bicycle hire service, which has been copied from London to Seattle, has ground to a virtual standstill after the new concession holder failed to install revamped docking stations on schedule.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-paris-bicycles-velib/velib-bike-sharing-scheme-hits-road-bump-in-french-capital-idUSKBN1EX1RM

Renewable Energy in Cities: State of the Movement

Renewable energy in cities took major strides in 2017. It was a momentous year in terms of ambition, with both cities and large companies making broad commitments to both renewable energy (RE) and deep emissions reductions.
Globally, technology and policy created both tailwinds and headwinds for renewables and efficiency implementation. What did 2017 hold in store for energy in cities? This article highlights global developments, reviews the past year, and includes a thought leaders’ outlook for 2018.
http://www.renewablecities.ca/articles/renewable-energy-in-cities-state-of-the-movement

Smart Cities New York + POLITICO team up for 2018!

We’re happy to announce that on May 8-10, 2018 at Pier 36 in Lower Manhattan, Smart Cities New York is partnering with POLITICO to host its second annual global conference. This year, we are exploring the Emerging Power of Cities, broadening the narrative about what makes cities “smart” by highlighting the innovations and technologies transforming urban life.
http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/01/09/1286133/0/en/Smart-Cities-New-York-and-Politico-Team-Up-for-Second-Annual-Global-Conference-Showcasing-Cities-Powered-by-People.html

Registration for the 2018 Covenant of Mayors Ceremony is open!

As a Covenant Supporter, Polis encourages European municipalities to register to the 2018 Covenant of Mayors Investment Forum and Ceremony which will take place at the European Parliament in Brussels on 21-22 February 2018.
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/publicnews/1576/45/Registration-for-the-2018-Covenant-of-Mayors-Ceremony-is-open-33

New Executive Director of UN-Habitat

Following nomination by the Secretary-General, the General Assembly, on 22 December 2017, elected Maimunah Mohd Sharif of Malaysia as Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
She succeeds Joan Clos of Spain to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service to the Organization. Dr. Clos led UN-Habitat during the pivotal years when the world’s population became majority urban. During this time, he championed the development of a New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG11), the first development goal focused on sustainable urbanization.
https://unhabitat.org/ms-maimunah-mohd-sharif-of-malaysia-elected-new-executive-director-of-un-habitat/

Connected Urban Growth: Public-Private Collaborations for Transforming Urban Mobility

The working paper “Connected Urban Growth: Public-Private Collaborations for Transforming Urban Mobility” presents a working definition of the term new mobility services, which encompasses a broad set of emerging operating models and technologies that are intended to improve the performance of urban transportation systems. It also presents the first global survey of new mobility services, and identifies emerging trends and opportunities for decision-makers in both the public and private sectors.
http://www.urenio.org/2017/12/19/connected-urban-growth-public-private-collaborations-transforming-urban-mobility/

2018 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference

Urban Future Global Conference - The international conference for sustainable cities

28 February - 2 March 2018 09:00 - 18:00
Vienna, Austria
The URBAN FUTURE global conference is Europe's biggest event for sustainable cities and aims to connect the change agents who are shaping the future of cities. This international event will bring together over 3,000 participants and 400 cities from over 50 countries.
The URBAN FUTURE Global Conference will host more than 200 speakers from around the world, from mayors, architects, urban planners, scientists, start-ups, mobility experts to sustainability managers - making it a key meeting point for decision makers from regions, cities and municipalities as well as leading practitioners, corporate CEOs and policy leaders from governments, NGOs and international organizations.
http://www.urban-future.org/

It's Time to Confront Our Coastal Elite Economy

Coastal cities have disproportionately thrived thanks to economic centralization. Yes, the marketplace is to blame, but so is federal policy.
Much has been written about our “winner-take-all” or “superstar” economy, in which elite coastal metropolises and other knowledge hubs have disproportionately thrived in terms of GDP and per capita income growth.
But what’s less discussed is what has driven this divergence, which has left large swaths of the country struggling. If we want to promote more even development, what should we do?
http://www.governing.com/commentary/gov-coastal-elite-economy.html

The secret sauce for making the New Urban Agenda a success

Modernity’s most common story spanning national, cultural and religious borders is about people moving from rural areas to the cities. By 2030, 80% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas, following the dream of better jobs, education, and health care.
Too often, however, that dream risks remaining an urban daydream, due to natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods, as well as climate change. Those of us working to help these families find a better future must focus more on ways to support efforts to protect their lives – and their livelihoods.
http://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/secret-sauce-making-new-urban-agenda-success

Save the Date - 5th International Green Roof Congress

Please save the date for this exciting congress which will be held from February 17th to February 18th 2018 in the Al Shaheed Park Kuwait, a new icon of Green Roof architecture.
The fifth edition of IGRA´s prestigious congress series deals with the special challenges of Green Roofs in dry climates. More than one third of the world population already lives in these expanding regions, without considering the global metropolitan areas which often are grappling with the same problems.
The performance of Green Roofs in these special environments is strongly connected with the availability and scarcity of water & the limited types of plants, which are able to tolerate these harsh weather conditions - therefore the water & plantation issue is a common thread of the congress presentations and discussions.
Join us for a top-level program focusing on innovative new technologies, stunning architecture, pioneering urban development projects and many opportunities to network with international leaders in the field of Green Roofs.
We look forward to seeing you at the 5th International Green Roof Congress in the Al Shaheed Park, Kuwait´s new urban oasis!
http://www.greenroofworld.com/

Join ERTICO for the Year of Multimodality event

2018 has been proclaimed the official Year of Multimodal Transport by European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc. In this context, ERTICO – ITS Europe, together with IRU and MaaS Alliance is proud to launch the “2018: Year of Multimodality” event, a two-day occasion to focus on achieving sustainable and efficient multimodal transport for people and goods.
The event will kick off on 24 January 2018 with a cocktail reception at the Residence Palace in Brussels and will be hosted by MEP Wim van de Camp. We welcome all interested parties to join us in this launch and to learn more about this Commission’s initiative!
http://erticonetwork.com/ertico-launching-2018-year-multimodality-cocktail-reception-thematic-workshop/

Traffic Deaths Hit Historic Lows in 2 Major Cities

The milestones come at a time for New York and San Francisco when the number of traffic deaths nationwide has been on the rise.
Last year turned out to be a banner one for traffic safety in San Francisco and New York, two leaders in the Vision Zero movement to eliminate all traffic-related fatalities. Both cities saw fewer traffic deaths in 2017 than at any point on record.
Vision Zero sets the goal of eliminating all traffic deaths -- whether they are of drivers, passengers, cyclists or pedestrians. The novelty of the movement may be more in its approach than its goal: Vision Zero starts with the premise that humans make mistakes, but road infrastructure ought to account for that. Its champions stress making changes to the physical aspects of streets and sidewalks to reduce vehicle speeds.
http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-vision-zero-traffic-deaths-new-york-san-francisco.html

Singapore's electric car-sharing program hits the road

Singapore launched on Tuesday its first large-scale electric car-sharing program through which the land-scarce city-state hopes to provide commuters with more transport options and steer them away from the need to buy their own cars.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-singapore-electricvehicles/singapores-electric-car-sharing-program-hits-the-road-idUSKBN1E60OF

The Need for City to City Cooperation Highlighted at UK Security Expo

A distinguished panel spoke at a roundtable briefing at UK Security Expo in late November, with representatives from cities recently effected by terrorist attacks including Nice, Melbourne, Brussels, Berlin, Barcelona, The Hague, Rotterdam and London. This was the first in a possible series of international city to city events on the response to terrorism.
The event was opened by Former UK Security Minister, Admiral Lord West of Spithead, who outlined the aim of sharing best practice and lessons learnt from recent incidents, “Terrorists are good at learning from each other, we should be too,” highlighting recent MET and MI5 briefings which stated, “The tempo and ferocity of recent terrorist attacks are now the new norm and not a blip.”
https://www.uksecurityexpo.com/security-news/the-need-for-city-to-city-cooperation-highlighted-at-uk-security-expo-safer-cities-briefing

Registrations open for INTA 41 in Malmo, Sweden!

Visit our website to check the programme on partnerships for sustainable cities and communities, that will mix focuses and visits of innovative local partnerships and high levels plenary sessions with international case studies.
Don't wait to register and prepare your journey to Malmo for our 41st World urban Congress, that will be held in April 16-17, 2018 !
https://inta-aivn.org/en/activities/exchange/congress/inta41

How Kid-Friendly Urban Design Makes Cities Better for All

Promoting urban planning projects often relies on an inspiring narrative: what are we as a community trying to accomplish, and how do we want our neighborhoods to evolve? Few stories are as universal as building a better future for our children. But in urban design, it’s too often a tale untold.
A new research report focused on child-first urban planning, Cities Alive: Designing for Urban Childhoods, argues that designing for children can be the anchor and central theme animating a larger progressive urban agenda. Written by the international engineering, planning, and consulting firm Arup, the report offers numerous case studies, sobering statistics—such as the fact that 1 billion children live in urban settings right now—and visions for tackling what they see as the main hurdles to more youth-friendly metropolises: traffic and pollution, high-rise living and sprawl, crime, isolation and intolerance, and unequal, inadequate access to the city’s benefits.
https://smartgrowth.org/kid-friendly-urban-design-makes-cities-better/

How inclusive is my city?

Take the pulse of your city with MyCOM, the My City of Migration Diagnostic. MyCOM is a modular tool designed to help you assess the quality of inclusion in your city: at work, at school, on election day, in health and as a new arrival. Complete the MYCOM Diagnostic to build a profile of your city’s strengths and weaknesses across 10 dimensions of inclusion. How does your city measure up?
https://my.citiesofmigration.org/

Save the date - 9th International Cities for Mobility Congress

the 9th International Cities for Mobility Congress will take place on June 17-19, 2018 at Stuttgart City Hall.
We will keep you informed about the content and speakers in the coming months.
We are also happy to inform you that our website www.cities-for-mobility.org will be relaunched in a more user-friendly and attractive design end of January 2018.
You will find there a first draft program of the International Congress in February.
www.cities-for-mobility.org

SCEWC celebrates its first abroad edition in Curitiba, Brazil

The two-day congress & exhibition will take place on 28th February – 1st March 2018 in Curitiba, one of the smartest and greenest cities in the south of Brazil.
Under the motto “Innovation as a Motor for Economic Development”, Smart City Expo Curitiba gathers companies, researchers and city representatives who seek to meet and discuss the needs of Brazilian cities and to offer the most innovative solutions for the market.
Attend the exhibition area to generate business contacts, develop a broad benchmark of strategic partnerships and to discover the latest trends in city solutions and projects. It is the propitious scenario where business ideas meet and evolve into real project solutions.
https://www.smartcityexpocuritiba.com/

How to Build A City That Doesn’t Flood? Turn It Into A Sponge

Urban floods make the news with alarming regularity. Just in the past few months, Hurricane Harvey submerged Houston, and the seasonal monsoon crippled cities in South Asia. Dramatic floods from increasingly severe storms come with a steep cost, both human and financial, and the problem will only get worse with climate change. One of the biggest culprits for the deadly toll these floods wreak? Urbanization.
https://smartgrowth.org/build-city-doesnt-flood-turn-sponge/

Refugee Dialogues

Dialogues and friendship circles help the host community appreciate the 'human face' of refugees and their experiences, through their own stories
As the number of asylum seeking arrivals increased in Germany, so too did information guides, apps and integration projects aimed at helping refugees settle. However, until recently there was little opportunity for real dialogue with refugees about their expectations of life in Germany and the daily challenges they face.
http://citiesofmigration.ca/good_idea/refugee-dialogues/

reSITE 2018 Prague: 2-for-1 registrations open

reSITE will be back at Forum Karlin June 14-15, 2018
reSITE is an annual celebration of inspiring design, development and positive impact on quality of life in cities. This world-class event brings together thought leaders, mayors, architects, planners, investors, artists and activists from around the world, across the spectrum of urban development.
https://www.resite.org/events/resite-2018

A community of practice to enhance urban transformations in-between?

Low carbon cities, smart cities, green cities, intelligent cities, eco cities, sustainable cities, resilient cities, liveable cities… – Are you also bewildered by all the different approaches to what should make our cities and urban areas liveable and sustainable? This landscape showing a plethora and diverse set of models and imaginaries was at the core of the Urban Transitions Pathways Symposium that took place in Sheffield on the 12th to 13th of October 2017.
http://jpi-urbaneurope.eu/news/a-community-of-practice-to-enhance-urban-transformations-in-between/

Ten Steps Toward Autonomous Urbanism

Today’s typical vision of the future city, how we travel, and how people interact physically and virtually is automated and mobile. As one example, Ford released its Cities of Tomorrow campaign to sell this type of “smart” city. This vision is largely defined by the private sector and technology companies.
The limits of this vision raise legitimate concerns. How safe is it? How accessible and affordable is it? Is it sustainable (do we consume fewer resources)? Is it spatially realistic (does it create more congestion rather than less)? Does it meet our human needs to socialize?
https://smartgrowth.org/ten-steps-toward-autonomous-urbanism/

How Cities Can Harness the Flood-Fighting Powers of Urban Parks

In April, the National Recreation and Park Association released a survey suggesting that, while parks are key in the fight against climate change, funding challenges often thwart greater environmental engagement.
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/cities-harness-flood-fighting-powers-urban-parks

Save the Date - Urban Transitions 2018

Integrating Urban and Transport Planning, Environment and Health for Healthier Urban Living
25 - 27 November 2018 | Sitges, Barcelona, Spain
Urban Transitions 2018 aims to promote healthy urban development by bringing together the different disciplines working within cities to provide enhanced understanding of the linkages involved and develop multi-sectorial solutions.
https://www.elsevier.com/events/conferences/urban-transitions

ETC 2018 Call for Papers

The Association of European Transport is delighted to kick off the preparations for ETC 2018 at Dublin Castle with a Call for Papers.
The European Transport Conference (ETC) attracts papers that address themes of relevance to the transport agenda in Europe and worldwide. The Conference provides a great opportunity for presenters to network and form career-spanning professional relationships.
https://aetransport.org/en-gb/etc/call-for-papers

Accelerating the Digital Transformation of smart cities and smart communities

The IDC white paper “Accelerating the Digital Transformation of Smart Cities and Smart Communities” presents how cities can take advantage of emerging technologies to: implement a cloud platform for cost containment, security, and flexibility; update work practices and foster a strong workforce; and stay compliant and address privacy, accessibility, and cybersecurity concerns. Moreover, it contains a useful checklist to help your smart city navigate potential challenges.
http://www.urenio.org/2017/12/19/accelerating-digital-transformation-smart-cities-smart-communities/

When Mayors Spoke Up

In 2017, city leaders took center stage as international diplomatic players.
By the end of 2017, it may have seemed like there weren’t any political or diplomatic precedents left to break. Nonetheless, the Trump Administration managed to break one more in November at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, when it declined to establish a pavilion space for American diplomats, NGOs, and business leaders to gather. Instead, there was an unofficial American pavilion, featuring California Governor Jerry Brown and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as chief diplomats. And it was, in fact, bigger than that of any country.
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/12/when-mayors-spoke-up/549356/

Smart City Expo World Congress - Relive all the congress 2017!

Smart City Expo World Congress 2017 took another step further and registered unprecedented figures with 18,754 visitors from around the globe, +700 cities, 675 exhibitors and 420 speakers.
You can access all the congress content provided by worldwide thought leaders, experts and industry players by watching the full session videos and downloading the speakers' presentations. Relive this insightful debate all over again!
http://www.smartcityexpo.com/presentations

CTBUH 2018 Conference: Abstracts Due by 31 January

Abstracts are sought for presentations that fit within the overall Conference theme Polycentric Cities: The Future of Vertical Urbanism (see full Conference synopsis).
CTBUH members of all disciplines interested in presenting at the event are now encouraged to complete the online abstract form by the 31 January 2018 deadline, showing how their proposed presentation will address the Conference theme and synopsis. Please note that competition for oral presentations at the Conference will be extremely high. All abstracts will be subject to rigorous review before acceptance into the conference program. NOTE: No paper substantiations will be required for the 2018 conference – only abstract submissions.
http://ctbuh2018.org/program/theme-call-for-speakers/abstract-submission/

Train of trainers is moving fast the journey continues in 2018!

As we approach the 2018 Voluntary National Reports for Sustainable Development, many cities are still grappling with SDG Localization, Implementation and monitoring, which makes National reporting significantly more difficult and SDG localization a matter of urgency.
Since the UCLG Learning strategy was to “train the trainers” for localizing the SDG, the learning modules for localization have been used in more than 25 events by our network. By the end of this year, more than 250 people participated already in a learning session and we can welcome more than 90 new trainers that will help us to share our strategy with more people. We can also proudly announce that our network includes now 40 regional and local governments and nearly 50 cities, in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, that are actively involved in our learning sessions.
https://www.uclg.org/en/media/news/train-trainers-moving-fast-journey-continues-2018

Truly Smart Cities need Decentralized Data

Smart cities are an extremely popular concept in recent years. As cities grow and technology advances, cities around the world are adopting smart technologies such as smart traffic lights, street lights, and a multitude of sensors for weather, traffic, water and power, which are making them more efficient and environmentally friendly, and improve quality of life.
http://www.urenio.org/2017/12/18/truly-smart-cities-need-decentralized-data/

Workshop on sustainable cities indicating the way towards a possible future mission

GPC and the 10 JPIs organised the third workshop on the future of joint programming focusing on the coherence of the partnership landscape and exploring the common ground for future missions. JPI Urban Europe co-organised the session on sustainable cities that confirmed the need for systems approaches, stakeholder engagement and for enhanced efforts towards innovation and implementation.
http://jpi-urbaneurope.eu/news/workshop-on-sustainable-cities-indicating-the-way-towards-a-possible-future-mission/

Your invitation to the ICF Global summit London June 2018

The popular 3-day international Intelligent Community Forum Summit is coming to London from 4 to 6 June 2018. It's the first time the summit will be taking place outside of North America.
The summit offers huge scope for organisations to be part of a key movement. Meet mayors, civic leaders, CIOs, economic developers and community leaders from around the world and find out who will succeed current title-holder Melbourne as 'Intelligent Community of the Year'.
http://www.intelligentcommunity.org/summit_18

Cities Debut Semi-Dockless Bike Shares

A major bike share company is rolling out a new service that it says offers the best of both dock-based and dockless systems.
First came the large-scale bike-sharing systems, with permanent docking stations dispersed around cities. Then came dockless systems, which let riders leave or pick up their rented bikes almost anywhere it’s legal to park a bike.
Some riders love the convenience of being able to leave a bike wherever they want. But other residents hate the nuisance of finding the free-standing bicycles clogging sidewalks, often blocking walkways and entryways to buildings. (One Washington, D.C.-based blog began cataloging all the worst bike-parking jobs, including on stairways, on fences and even inside stores and lobbies.)
http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-semi-dockless-bike-share-hybrid.html

What the Zika Epidemic Means for Gender and Urban Climate Planning

Almost exactly two years ago, South America was swept up in a public health crisis that affected hundreds of thousands of women. In Brazil, more than 2,600 children were born with microcephaly – an abnormally small head – and other health complications resulting from the viral infection Zika. Brazilians became accustomed to the unfamiliar name of the disease, which spread fast through the northeast of the country and across borders to Colombia and Venezuela. But even as the disease became an international concern, it quickly became clear that it was a much bigger problem for some than for others.
As someone who works on climate change adaptation, I was particularly struck by the climatic and systemic elements of the epidemic.
http://thecityfix.com/blog/what-the-zika-epidemic-means-for-gender-and-urban-climate-planning-katerina-elias-trostmann/

European and Chinese discussions on sustainable and green urbanisation

Community building between European and Chinese experts and researchers is seen as key to establish a long-term and fruitful collaboration of both regions. The joint expert workshop of JPI Urban Europe and The China Academy of Social Sciences in Zhongshan, 21–22 November 2017, provided an excellent opportunity to exchange on innovative approaches and build a common ground for future joint actions.
http://jpi-urbaneurope.eu/news/european-and-chinese-discussions-on-sustainable-and-green-urbanisation/

FLOW & TRACE final conference - Decongesting Europe: New approaches to freeing our cities

The CIVITAS FLOW and TRACE projects are joining forces for their final conference and invite you to join them from 13 - 14 March 2018 in Brussels!
The interactive event will include a TRACE "tracking tour", training sessions, presentations, breakout sessions, debate, a world café, and awards.
Registration will open very soon on the FLOW and TRACE project websites.
http://h2020-flow.eu/

How can city governments ensure better public health?

Crossing the street while texting could cost you your life. If you live in Honolulu, even if you survive, thanks to legislation passed earlier this year, it could also land you a hefty fine.
The Hawaiian capital is not the only city trying to get us to look up from our phone. Hayward, California, introduced snarky signs in 2015, reminding us to “Cross the road, then update Facebook.” Singapore installed LED lights on the pavement at crossings to prevent accidents involving people who don’t look up from their phones. Antwerp in Belgium and Chongqing in China have text-walking lanes, and Mumbai and San Francisco have no-selfie zones, while Rexburg in Idaho banned pedestrians from using phones when crossing the street in 2011.
https://www.citymetric.com/fabric/how-can-city-governments-ensure-better-public-health-3554

How to manage urban expansion in mega-metropolitan areas?

As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, the number of megacities is growing rapidly.
Today there are 37 cities worldwide with populations of greater than 10 million, and 84 with populations greater than five million. More than three quarters of these cities are in developing countries. Together with their surrounding metropolitan areas, these cities produce a sizable portion of the world’s wealth and attract a large share of global talent.
These megacities face a series of common challenges associated with managing urban expansion, density, and livability—in a manner that takes advantage of the benefits of productive agglomerations, while mitigating the disadvantages of such high degrees of congestion and urban density.
http://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/how-manage-urban-expansion-mega-metropolitan-areas

Meet the world’s most inspiring CityChangers

From 28 February - 2 March Vienna is going to host the 2018 edition of the Urban Future Global Conference. And it will be bigger and better than ever. 3,000 CityChangers from hundreds of cities in 50+ countries will transform the city into the place to be for urban decision makers, doers and innovators.
http://www.urban-future.org/

Eindhoven-Helmond will host the 2019 ITS European Congress

On 5 December 2017 it was officially announced that, in eighteen months’ time, the Netherlands will host the 2019 ITS European Congress. This event will be held from June 3-6, 2019 in the Brainport region of Eindhoven-Helmond. The Congress provides a platform for innovations and projects linked to smart mobility, such as self-driving cars, congestion prevention and logistics. A number of these innovations were demonstrated this afternoon at the Automotive Campus in Helmond.
The ITS Congress will be an ideal opportunity for industry and the government to show what the Netherlands can do and to highlight the significance of developments in this field for users. It will enable the Netherlands to consolidate its position as a leader in this field. The Ministry of Infrastructure, Public Works and Water Management plans to organize a high-level European meeting during the congress, in early June 2019.
http://erticonetwork.com/eindhoven-hosting-2019-world-congress/

Connected Urban Growth: Public-Private Collaborations for Transforming Urban Mobility

5 Ways to Measure a Mayor's Success

Urban Waterfronts Conference 2018: Registration Deadline Extended to January 12, 2018

For decades, the Waterfront Center has been in the forefront of the struggle to ensure that waterfronts are carefully planned, balancing the need for private investment with the absolute mandate that the public is entitled to full and unfettered access to the water. The Waterfront Center teamed with the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area to host their 33rd annual international conference which addresses the challenges waterfronts face in the 21st Century
http://www.2018uw.com/

Procurement Power

Using purchasing power and supplier diversity to drive inclusive growth and urban prosperity
Every year, the city of Toronto spends about CAD 1.8 billion (USD 1.35 billion) on goods and services, from large construction projects to one-off catering contracts. Now, the city wants to harness that procurement power to help raise minorities, aboriginal people, recent immigrants and people with disabilities out of poverty.
http://citiesofmigration.ca/good_idea/procurement-power/

District heating: has it's time come?

Due to its reliance on renewable energy sources, district heating is becoming a preferred energy saving solution. One of the biggest challenges, however, is convincing homeowners of the long-term value of retrofitting buildings to accommodate the smart solution
From the frosty reaches of Umeå in eastern Sweden to the rolling hills of San Sebastian in Spain’s Basque Country, European cities have one refrain on their minds as the cold sets in: winter is coming and homes must be heated in a way that allows the EU to reach its goal of reducing energy consumption by 20% by the year 2020. District heating is quickly cementing itself as a preferred method to do so, as it relies on renewable energy sources and decreases greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.cityfied.eu/news/articlesinterviews/district-heating-has-its-time-come.kl

Smart Cities could save over $5 trillion annually by 2022

The implementation of smart city technologies could save enterprises, governments and citizens a total of over $5 trillion globally per year, by 2022, according to a new white paper by ABI research, which has analyzed the scope for cost savings and efficiency as a driver for smart city deployments, smart technologies and the Internet of Things.
http://www.urenio.org/2017/12/06/smart-cities-save-5-trillion-annually-2022/

Covenant of Mayors ceremony and investment forum

As the Covenant of Mayors will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year, and with the 2020 milestone coming closer, you are invited to the Covenant Ceremony and Investment Forum to be held on 21 and 22 February 2018 in Brussels.
This event is dedicated to matchmaking between cities, business, and financial institutions on the financial engineering for projects in energy efficiency, renewables and smart energy, as well as climate change adaptation. It will bring together cities, business and financial institutions to exchange on good practices and successful solutions to common challenges.
http://www.ccre.org/en/actualites/view/3635

Cities: How smart strategies can turn into effective action plans

Smart innovations are years in the making and require long-term vision. Changes in government and citizens’ sensibilities can halt or alter strategies. So how can they survive to create lasting change?
When Justin Bieber made his way to Stockholm in September 2016, city officials hardly expected the tween heartthrob to pave the way for sustainable urban policy. But when thousands of adolescent girls and their parents swarmed the concert area in an already busy sector of the city, regulators realised the zone was in dire need of new traffic regulation.
http://www.remourban.eu/news--events/news/how-smart-strategies-can-turn-into-effective-action-plans.kl

International course on Food Security in an Urbanising Society

Join us in Wageningen, the Netherlands for our 4th edition of the International course on Food Security in an Urbanising Society (10 – 21 September 2018).
You will get well acquainted with the framework of city region food systems in relation to food and nutrition security in densely populated areas. Will be able to use the concepts of city region food systems to analyse urban food and nutrition security issues. Participants will be able to use different designs, methods and approaches, and their interrelationships, in planning for food and nutrition security in urbanizing societies.
For more information about our course and fellowship opportunities:
https://www.wur.nl/en/Expertise-Services/Research-Institutes/centre-for-development-innovation/short-courses/Short_courses_2018/CDIcourse_food_security_urbanizing_society_2018.htm

Three new trends that could avert city gridlock

From London to Delhi, e-hailing companies like Uber and journey-planning apps like CityMapper are fast transforming the way people move around cities.
When you’re rushing to work and your home is miles from a train station, the bus is not due for 30 minutes and the city bike-hire scheme hasn’t reached your part of town yet, you are increasingly likely to reach for your smartphone to find the closest car-club vehicle, or to hail a taxi.
http://www.citymetric.com/transport/three-new-trends-could-avert-city-gridlock-3522

Immigrants and minorities have high trust in local authorities, says new report

On 6 December, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) revealed new findings about the situation of immigrants and minorities in the EU. The findings were presented at a high-level conference in Brussels and discussed with over 200 participants, including representatives of the European Commission, member states, cities, equality bodies, minority groups and employers.
The findings, resulting from a large survey (MIDIS II) with over 25,000 people with ethnic minority or immigrant backgrounds from all 28 EU member states, tell a chilling story of widespread discrimination across the EU. They paint a gloomy image of the situation of fundamental rights in the EU and give a wake-up call to the EU and member states.
http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/Immigrants-and-minorities-have-high-trust-in-local-authorities-says-new-report-WSPO-ATSV9T

2018
January


2017
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

2016
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

2015
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

2014
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

2013
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

Further archived news available on request from: Kate More